7 Jun 2014

Plenty of experience in England rugby team for first Test

3:58 pm on 7 June 2014

The England rugby coach Stuart Lancaster has named a team with plenty of experience to take on the Alll Blacks in the first Test at Eden Park on Saturday night.

Despite being without 16 topline players for this first Test, Lancaster has included 7 players who started against Italy in the Six Nations this year, while the only 2 new caps are in the reserves.

British and Irish Lions, the lock Geoff Parling and centre Manusamoa Tuilagi are included while there is a return for 50-cap flanker James Haskell after a 12-month absence.

Lancaster says they've had a good week's training in Auckland and have prepared well and are ready for the massive challenge ahead.

England:

15 Mike Brown (Harlequins, 26 caps)

14 Marland Yarde (London Irish, 2 caps)

13 Manusamoa Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers, 22 caps)

12 Kyle Eastmond (Bath Rugby, 2 caps)

11 Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby, 6 caps)

10 Freddie Burns (Gloucester Rugby, 3 caps)

9 Danny Care (Harlequins, 47 caps)

1 Joe Marler (Harlequins, 19 caps)

2 Rob Webber (Bath Rugby, 5 caps)

3 David Wilson (Bath Rugby, 34 caps)

4 Joe Launchbury (London Wasps, 19 caps)

5 Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers, 19 caps)

6 James Haskell (London Wasps, 50 caps)

7 Chris Robshaw (Harlequins, capt, 25 caps)

8 Ben Morgan (Gloucester Rugby, 20 caps)

Replacements

16 Joe Gray (Harlequins, uncapped)

17 Matt Mullan (London Wasps, 3 caps)

18 Henry Thomas (Sale Sharks, 6 caps)

19 Dave Attwood (Bath Rugby, 10 caps)

20 Tom Johnson (Exeter Chiefs, 7 caps)

21 Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 35 caps)

22 Danny Cipriani (Sale Sharks, 7 caps)

23 Chris Pennell (Worcester Warriors, uncapped)