Adam Williams presents his prediction for the Quilter Nations Series match.
Last weekend, England and New Zealand were far from perfect but still defeated their opponents. This match at London’s Twickenham Stadium will be the 47th meeting between them.
England
A week ago, England beat Fiji, their quarter-final opponents at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Unlike that meeting (30:24), this time the margin was wider (38:18). Fiji stayed within three points for an hour, but in the final quarter the hosts added three more tries to the three scored earlier. Experienced campaigners transformed the side. However, the hosts allowed their opponents too much; if that continues against New Zealand, the hosts will not avoid defeat.
New Zealand
New Zealand laboured against Scotland in Edinburgh; more precisely, they allowed the hosts to draw level after everything had been going to plan at 17:0. Ardie Savea caused problems for his side with a 10-minute sin-bin in the 45th minute for an illegal tackle. During that spell, Scotland scored two converted tries, and then Finn Russell landed a penalty. The visitors still won 25:17. That said, their line-up was not ideal. The squad have many injuries, including the absence of captain Scott Barrett. His return was anticipated for this important match, and he has made the starting XV.
England vs New Zealand Prediction
The hosts will also have plenty of new faces in the starting XV compared with the match against Fiji (seven). Mostly experienced players return, and George Ford will take place-kicking duties. The game will be tough, and they will not avoid errors. There should be tries scored early as well, so we expect at least as many points as last November (24:22 to New Zealand).
