LONDON : Scrumhalf Ben Spencer will get his first test match start, on his seventh appearance, after being named in the team on Tuesday for England's opening November series test against New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday.Spencer, 32, has six caps off the bench, including the last few minutes of the 2019 World Cup final, and gets his chance after regular scrumhalf Alex Mitchell was ruled out of the series with injury.
Harry Randall is the bench scrumhalf.In total the Bath captain has 80 minutes of test rugby under his belt, but has yet to feature in a winning side, having made his debut against as a late replacement against South Africa in 2018.After flying out to join the England squad in the week of the 2019 World Cup final, he got on the pitch for the last few minutes, but then had to wait five years for his next cap, against Scotland in this year's Six Nations.
He also came off the bench against New Zealand this summer."It's been difficult, it's never been a run of games," Spencer told The Times. "In the past nine months or so I've really felt part of the squad and you are desperate to be a part of it.Marcus Smith is the starting flyhalf, with George Ford on the bench after recovering from a thigh injury.
Henry Slade starts at outside centre having proved his fitness playing his first game of the season for Exeter on Sunday following shoulder surgery.Chandler Cunningham-South is starts at blindside flanker, alongside Tom Curry, who makes his first start for a year following hip surgery, and Ben Earl, but there is no place in the squad for back row regular Sam Underhill, who has started the last nine tests.Ben Curry, who has five caps, is on the bench as one of six forwards, opening the way for him to appear