George Ford returns at fly-half for England to face New Zealand

FootballSports
11 Nov 2025 • 10:30 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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George Ford will direct England’s quest for a first victory over Zealand in six years after being named in a team that sees the return of Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck.

Ford is restored at fly-half for the Allianz Stadium showdown with Fin Smith dropping out of the 23 altogether despite pulling the strings in last Saturday’s 38-18 victory over Fiji.

Marcus Smith drops to the bench to provide playmaker cover with Steward taking his spot at full-back and Roebuck slotting in on the right wing.

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Wing Tommy Freeman and second row Ollie Chessum have failed to recover from their respective hamstring and ankle injuries so miss out on Saturday’s main event of the autumn.

Roebuck fills the number 14 jersey while Alex Coles is the beneficiary of Chessum’s absence, forming a second row partnership alongside Maro Itoje.