England v New Zealand predictions: All Blacks should be given stern test

Free rugby tips, best bets and analysis for Saturday's autumn international between England and New Zealand.

Where to watch

Amazon Prime, 5.30pm Saturday

Best bet

England +3
2pts 10-11 general

Match preview

Twenty years ago England beat New Zealand at Twickenham and went on to win the Rugby World Cup the following year, and now they have the opportunity to set down a similar marker before next year's tournament in France.

Since their World Cup success in 2003 England have won just two of 17 Tests against the All Blacks.

The first was in 2012 at Twickenham, and came after the New Zealand camp had been hit by a sickness bug in the week leading up to the match.

But there were no question marks over the more recent victory, as England triumphed 19-7 in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, dominating their opponents with pace and power - and that is the kind of mix Eddie Jones looks to be trying to create on Saturday.

Manu Tuilagi scored the opening try in that 2019 victory, and he was also a key attacking threat in the 2012 success. Tuilagi returns to the starting line-up, while scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet and back-row forward Sam Simmonds are also retained from last week's win over Japan.

This is a huge match for both teams, who have come under fire for poor performances this year. New Zealand have lost to France, Ireland, South Africa and Argentina in the last 12 months while England won only two matches in the Six Nations and opened their autumn campaign with defeat to Argentina.

Another hard-fought, attritional battle looks likely - the last two meetings have produced totals of 26 and 31 points while the last two matches at Twickenham have been settled by margins of one and three points.

Despite some shaky results New Zealand have shown again and again this year their ability to bounce back, not just from week to week but within games. Last week against Scotland they took a 14-0 lead against Scotland but then trailed by nine points in the second half before striking back for a 31-23 success.

Given New Zealand's winning record against England it's tempting to back the All Blacks to seal another narrow win at odds-against. But England will have put so much into this fixture and know that this is a massive opportunity against a Kiwi side who will be all too wary of that semi-final setback three years ago and their own record this year.

Taking England with a start on the handicap looks a better approach as a significant victory looks within their reach.

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A 65" TV

Sign up to emails from Racing Post Sport and get all the latest news and tips

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport