England vs. New Zealand All Blacks: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
England's clash with New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday is undoubtedly the headline game as the autumn internationals get into full swing.
The recent encounters between these two sides in London have been blistering, well-fought occasions, while England's tour of New Zealand in the summer saw three terrific matches despite Stuart Lancaster's side being whitewashed.
With the World Cup on the horizon, England will be desperate to lay down a marker at Twickenham and beat the All Blacks on the back of the Kiwis' recent loss to South Africa, which ended a two-year undefeated run.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Read on for full scheduling details as well as where to catch Saturday's game between two of rugby's international heavyweights.
Date: Saturday, Nov. 8
Time: 2:30 p.m. GMT, 9:30 a.m. ET
TV Info: Sky Sports 2 (UK only)
Live Stream: Sky Go
Preview
Ahead of England's victorious 2003 World Cup win in Australia, they hosted New Zealand at Twickenham in 2002's autumn internationals and beat them 31-28.
Not only did they beat the All Blacks that November, but the southern hemisphere's other big-hitters, Australia and South Africa.
England put out a statement of real intent in those three fixtures and from that point were rightly regarded as one of the favourites for the tournament they eventually won.
While nobody is suggesting Lancaster's England side are as good as the 2003 World Cup winners just yet, the 2015 tournament is the inspiration for every fixture at the moment.
To get to the level they wish and contend for the World Cup next year, England must perform against, and beat, at least two of New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, all of whom they host this month.
However, the biggest fillip would be a win against the All Blacks—the world champions—on Saturday, and it is not out of the question.
In December 2012, the Kiwis turned up at Twickenham and were beaten 38-21 in a magnificent performance from Lancaster's men.
That match provided the inspiration for further improvement, and though New Zealand prevailed in London a year later, it was a fine performance once again from the hosts.
Lancaster believes his side are in a fine position leading into the game and insists his men are ready for the challenge, per the Press Association via The Guardian:
"We’re in a better position now than we were in the last Test against New Zealand in November. The players who are here have trained very well. They had a great week last week. They’ll have another good week of learning this week. We’re very confident with the players we have. There are a lot of players who are playing well and who will be ready on Saturday.
"
However, New Zealand have to be considered the favourites for Saturday's game, especially considering England's injury list, which includes Joe Launchbury, Geoff Parling, Alex Corbisiero, Mako Vunipola, Tom Youngs, Dan Cole, Ed Slater, Tom Croft and Manu Tuilagi.
Despite their early-October loss to South Africa, they have since returned to winning ways with a victory over Australia and a thrashing of the USA last weekend, per Rugby World:
Sonny Bill Williams made a terrific return to the side after spending the last two years playing rugby league and he could well torment the England defence on Saturday.
The All Blacks are undoubtedly still the world's best, most consistent side. But as South Africa recently proved, they can be beaten.
As ever, Richie McCaw will lead out the All Blacks. Dan Carter misses out, though, while Julian Savea will be a constant threat from the wing having scored 29 times in 30 Test appearances, including eight in four against England.
The hosts will have to be on top of their game in every department if they are to prevail on Saturday but, as they showed in the Six Nations, they are a team constantly improving.
In front of what is sure to be a vocal crowd, both sides will be desperate for a victory with fireworks all but guaranteed on the pitch.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
