Steve Borthwick insisted his decision to give Ben Spencer first one England start will not hinder their newly improved attack. The rapid speed of the ruck was fundamental to the improved English approach which was revealed in Guinness Six Nations defeat Ireland last march

Alex Mitchell was instrumental in that change of pace, but now he’s injured as well Harry Randall and Jack van Poortvliet were generally regarded as the players closest to him in style.

However, Borthwick has instead opted to select Spencer as the starting No.9 this Saturday against All Blacks at the Allianz Stadium, with Randall providing support from the bench and van Poortvliet surplus to requirements.

England manager Steve Borthwick on the importance of winning close matches

Steve Borthwick on what he learned from narrow defeats to New Zealand in the summer.

England manager Steve Borthwick on the importance of winning close matches

Steve Borthwick on what he learned from narrow defeats to New Zealand in the summer.

It was August 2023 when van Poortvliet was to travel to Rugby World Cup as England’s first scrum innings. A serious ankle injury sustained versus Wales according to the batch for France he had been notified, however, forced him out.

That paved the way for Mitchell, previously banned, to get a reprieve and traveled across the Channel with the veterans. Danny Care and Ben Youngswho are both now retired from Test rugby. Mitchell continued to dominate the selection, starting in five of the seven World Cup matches. He has also started four of this year’s Six Nations matches and all three matches in the summer tournament.

A neck injury currently rules him out, opening the selection for Spencer and Randall, who toured. Japan and New Zealand, and van Poortvliet, who enjoyed a successful return to club level with Leicester.

Spencer was Borthwick’s choice at Dunedin and Auckland in the respective July 15-16 and 17-24 losses to the All Blacks, and the head coach has now handed him a first Test start after a career that has totaled six short rounds as a substitute.

Asked why he backed Spencer for a first Test start at the age of 32, Borthwick explained: “Ben has been around the England team for a good while. This was a huge benefit. Ben is such an experienced player. He has played so many games in the Premiership.

“You saw how he played in the Premiership final, I thought he was absolutely outstanding. He’s a guy who knows how to deliver on the biggest stages and that’s important. He is a calm guy. He played in many important matches. We have such a competitive position there with so many good ones.”