Lancaster Makes Changes as Manu Mans the Wing
The England starting XV against New Zealand this weekend
©PA
In the biggest team selection of Stuart Lancaster’s career, the England Coach made five changes to the team that started the first Test in Auckland with the standout decision being to move Manu Tuilagi to man the right wing.
The Leicester Tiger was prolific at outside centre in the narrow 20-15 defeat last week, taking the game right to the All Blacks; however, he moves over to the wing, making way for Billy Twelvetrees and Luther Burrel to unite their mid-field partnership.
As a result Marland Yarde switches flanks over to the left in place of Jonny May, who is left out of the match day squad.
The new centre partnership will be hoping to reunite the good form they displayed in this year’s RBS 6 Nations after missing the first Test because of an ankle injury for Twelvetrees and Burrell’s involvement in Northampton’s Aviva Premiership final win.
The decision was driven by England’s need to bring as much firepower as possible to the All Blacks, as cracks in their armour began to show in Auckland.
As well as accommodating for the centres, though, Manu’s move is also an aim to quash Julian Savea’s attacking threat, after the powerful try-machine has returned to the side after missing the Test in Auckland.
The decision is one that has been under consideration for the past six to ten months with the 23-year-old last filling the position for Leicester in 2011. He was conspicuous as England's most potent attacking force in the 20-15 defeat at Eden Park from his accustomed position at 13.
With victory at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday essential to set up a series decider in Hamilton, the timing of the change is risky, but Lancaster is convinced it will work.
Robshaw: England are confident about a decider
Robshaw insists England will continue to carry the fight to the All Blacks from the kick-off in Dunedin.
"This game us massive. We want to go out there and win a series and that means we must win on Saturday so we're in a position to take the series into a decider," the captain said.
"We're a confident squad at the moment, but it's one thing being confident, another going out there and doing the job successfully.
"Despite the result in the first Test, how we performed last weekend has given us even more belief.
"We have come here determined to impose our game plan. You can't come to New Zealand and play second fiddle."
"We had to make sure in training that Manu understood the way our wingers defend and was comfortable with that because obviously it's a change for him," Lancaster said.
"He was happy and certainly when we talked through our strike plays we've got some real options now.
"We've got that balance in our backline we've always looked for, which is pace, power, ball-carrying and footballing ability.
"Having seen Manu play on the wing at age grade and understanding how effective he was, I always thought of it as an option.
"What we've now got is some real quality in the centres who can get the ball to him.
"The ball will be kicked to him a fair amount so he'll have plenty of counter-attack opportunities.
"But we have to be careful not to suggest we're basing our whole gameplan around one player because we're certainly not.
"The physicality of our centres has not been diminished by picking Billy and Luther. Luther can do things and distribute in ways Manu can't."
Lancaster is confident that Twelvetrees - who offers the playmaking option at inside centre he favours - is ready to play despite his recent inactivity.
"All you can do is trust your instincts and in what you see in training," said Lancaster, who has made seven changes, two positional, following last weekend's defeat in Auckland.
"Everything I have seen in training has led me to believe that Billy is ready to start."
England are confident Tuilagi, who ousts Jonny May from the 23 completely, has the pace, speed on the turn and defence to make the transition a success.
The only question mark hangs over his aerial ability, but a plan has been devised to compensate for his shortcomings in this area.
"If Manu doesn't quite get up in the air and someone else catches it, he'll tackle them. Quite hard," Lancaster said.
Sitting lower on the selectorial Richter Scale than Tuilagi but surprising nonetheless was Geoff Parling's retention in the second row alongside Joe Launchbury.
Courtney Lawes, another of Northampton's Premiership heroes, was expected to replace Parling but the British and Irish Lion's leadership, line-out expertise and superb performance in the first Test have proved decisive.
Rob Webber has won the 50-50 call over Dylan Hartley while Ben Morgan continues at number eight with Billy Vunipola sitting on a heavyweight bench that is central to England's gameplan for Dunedin.
It is hoped the arrival of Hartley, Lawes, Vunipola and wing Chris Ashton in the final half-hour will tip the scales against the All Blacks.
"We feel the game is going to take the full 80 minutes to win and part of the selection has been the make-up of the bench," Lancaster said.
"The likes of Dylan, Courtney and Billy Vunipola will bring a huge amount of energy from the bench and hopefully see us home.
"Billy's quite a good person to have on your bench when he's angry and annoyed because he's missed out on starting.
"Chris' role will be coming on and getting on the end of linebreaks - we made quite a lot of linebreaks last week but didn't quite finish them off."
As expected Tom Wood returns at blindside flanker with the unlucky James Haskell dropping out of the 23 altogether.
Owen Farrell and Danny Care, who has recovered from a shoulder problem, start at half-back with Freddie Burns offering fly-half and full-back cover from the bench.
England team to face New Zealand at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, on Saturday June 14, 0835 KO BST:
M Brown (Harlequins); M Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers), L Burrell (Northampton Saints), B Twelvetrees (Gloucester), M Yarde (Harlequins); O Farrell (Saracens), D Care (Harlequins); J Marler (Harlequins), R Webber (Bath), D Wilson (Bath), J Launchbury (Wasps), G Parling (Leicester Tigers), T Wood (Northampton Saints), C Robshaw (Harlequins, capt), B Morgan (Gloucester).
Replacements: D Hartley (Northampton Saints), M Mullan (Wasps), K Brookes (Newcastle Falcons), C Lawes (Northampton Saints), B Vunipola (Saracens), B Youngs (Leicester Tigers), F Burns (Leicester Tigers), C Ashton (Saracens).
