Beauden Barrett Returns as New Zealand’s Fly-Half vs. England

Beauden Barrett has been selected over Damian McKenzie to start at fly-half for New Zealand in their upcoming match against England on Saturday. Barrett has played at fly-half only once during the Rugby Championship this year with McKenzie leading the team in the first five matches. Head coach Scott Robertson praised Barrett’s experience and understanding of northern hemisphere tours, highlighting his instinctive play and strong game management as key factors in the decision.

Barrett a two-time World Player of the Year, spent part of the year playing for Japanese club Toyota Verblitz on a sabbatical agreed upon with New Zealand Rugby. Meanwhile, Barrett’s brother, Jordie Barrett returns from injury to replace Anton Lienert-Brown in the midfield. Loose-head prop Tamaiti Williams retains his spot from the recent warm-up victory over Japan while first-choice prop Ethan de Groot is unavailable due to not meeting “internal standards,” although Robertson did not disclose the reasons for his omission.

Cortez Ratima will start at scrum-half with Cam Roigard and McKenzie on the bench. Scott Barrett will captain the team which includes his brothers Beauden and Jordie alongside back-row players Sam Cane, Ardie Savea and Wallace Sititi, who earns his seventh cap. England having announced their team earlier includes Henry Slade in the centres despite limited playing time.

The bench features six forwards and only two backs. Although New Zealand won both encounters with England during the summer series, Robertson emphasized that those results hold little significance now, as both teams have evolved since their meetings in July. New Zealand finished second in the Rugby Championship, suffering a defeat to Argentina and two losses to world champions South Africa prior to this match.