All Blacks name team for Test against England
The AB's stand tall as 1. photo allblacks.com
All Blacks Coach Graham Henry and his Assistant Coaches Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith have today named the team to play England at Twickenham, London, on Saturday 21 November, in the fourth Test of the All Blacks Telecom Northern Tour.
1. Tony Woodcock (59 Tests)
2. Andrew Hore (45)
3. Owen Franks (7)
4. Brad Thorn (35)
5. Tom Donnelly (4)
6. Adam Thomson (14)
7. Richie McCaw (78, captain)
8. Kieran Read (14)
9. Jimmy Cowan (31)
10. Dan Carter (64)
11. Sitiveni Sivivatu (41)
12. Ma’a Nonu (44)
13. Conrad Smith (31)
14. Zac Guildford (1)
15. Mils Muliaina (80)
Reserves:
16. Corey Flynn (6) / Aled de Malmanche (2)
17. John Afoa (22)
18. Anthony Boric (11)
19. Jerome Kaino (23)
20. Andy Ellis (12)
21. Stephen Donald (28)
22. Tamati Ellison (1)
2009 All Blacks debutant, tighthead prop Owen Franks, gets his eighth start of the year alongside experienced hooker Andrew Hore and openside prop Tony Woodcock, who will be playing his 60th Test. Another 2009 All Blacks debutant, lock Tom Donnelly, has been named alongside Brad Thorn in the second row, while Kieran Read and Adam Thomson both get their 15th Test starts, picked at number eight and blindside flanker respectively, alongside captain Richie McCaw, who will be playing in his 79th Test and 42nd as captain.
The key feature in the backline is the selection on the right wing of 20-year-old Zac Guildford, who made his Test debut against Wales two weeks ago. Regular starter Sitiveni Sivivatu is on the left wing and Mils Muliaina at fullback. Conrad Smith and Ma’a Nonu are in the midfield; Dan Carter is at first five-eighth and Jimmy Cowan at halfback.
Several players also mark milestones this weekend: Muliaina played his 80th Test coming off the bench in last week’s Test against Italy, and with his 81st Test (and ninth against England) this weekend will become the second most capped All Black of all time alongside former All Blacks halfback Justin Marshall (1995 – 2005). Meanwhile Carter will play his 65th Test and Nonu his 45th.
On the bench, Corey Flynn, who is suffering a hamstring strain has been bracketed with Aled de Malmanche, who flew in from holiday this morning to join the All Blacks squad as cover, with John Afoa the reserve prop. Anthony Boric and Jerome Kaino cover the rest of the forwards, while the back reserves are Andy Ellis, Stephen Donald and Tamati Ellison, who made his Test debut last week against Italy.
All Blacks Coach Graham Henry said: “It doesn’t get much bigger than England at Twickenham. It will be another fantastic challenge for the All Blacks. We are focussed on preparing well this week and looking forward to playing a determined England side.”
The All Blacks have played England 32 times since 1905 with 25 wins to New Zealand, six to England and one draw. The last Test against England was at Twickenham on last year’s Grand Slam-winning tour, which the All Blacks won 32 -6.
Meanwhile, Carter and England’s Jonny Wilkinson, hold the all-time ‘points in a match’ records against the respective countries: Carter scored 26 points in the 41-20 win in 2006 and Wilkinson scored 21 points in England’s 31-28 win in 2002. Carter also holds the All Blacks record for points scored against England, with 137 points scored in his seven Tests so far against the Northern Hemisphere rival.
The All Blacks will also be defending the Hillary Shield, the rugby trophy honouring the late Sir Edmund Hillary, which was first contested in last year’s Test. The Hillary Shield honours Sir Edmund’s lifetime of achievements as a mountaineer, adventurer, humanitarian, and as Knight of the Garter. A legendary figure in New Zealand, Sir Edmund was also widely respected in the UK and around the world as the climber who, with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, made the first successful ascent of Mt Everest in 1953 as part of a British climbing expedition.
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For further information contact:
Joe Locke
All Blacks Media Manager
M: +44 (0) 7848 009 536
The All Blacks: With a history extending more than a century, New Zealand’s national rugby team, the All Blacks, is the most successful international rugby team of all time and one of the most successful teams in world sport, with a winning Test record of 74 percent. The All Blacks play Australia and South Africa annually in the Investec Tri Nations tournament, which New Zealand has won nine times in 13 years, including from 2005-2008. The All Blacks have also won three Grand Slams against the Home Nations, in 1978, 2005 and 2008. Coach Graham Henry and his assistants Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen have coached the All Blacks since 2004 and extended the team’s winning record in that time to 83 percent. The All Blacks were named IRB Team of the Year and Henry Coach of the Year in 2005, 2006 and 2008.