NEWS ROUND-UPENGLAND HAVE attempted to lock down their saloon-door midfield for Saturday's second Test against New Zealand by installing Jamie Noon at inside centre and Toby Flood at outhalf.
The recalled duo are among five changes England have made to the back division in response to last weekend's 37-20 defeat to the All Blacks.
Winger Topsy Ojo, who scored twice on his debut at Eden Park, and centre Mike Tindall are the only survivors behind the scrum.
Danny Care will make his maiden Test start at scrumhalf while Mathew Tait gets his chance at fullback and winger Tom Varndell returns to an England jersey for the first time in two years.
Tour manager Rob Andrew is anxious to run the rule over a number of young players ahead of the elite player squad announcement on July 1st.
But the overriding desire for change this week was to add ballast to an England midfield that failed to halt the All Blacks' powerful ball carriers in Auckland last weekend.
Charlie Hodgson, who was singled out for most of the blame, has dropped out of the match 22 altogether, and Olly Barkley must settle for a place on the bench.
Instead, Flood takes over in the director's chair while Noon and Tindall will form an aggressively defensive midfield partnership.
They do not offer much natural creativity but, having shipped four tries in 21 minutes last Saturday, England's priority is damage limitation.
Defence coach Mike Ford said: "As coaches we put down this week what is important now - whether a kicking game and variety in attack comes before defence. Probably not.
"We have got to defend and front up against these guys at the weekend. We have got to be with them after 60 minutes to stand any chance of winning the game. To do that we have to defend.
"We reviewed the game and the defence in particular and the way their points were scored. We had issues in the 10 and 12 channel and on the night we made individual errors.
"But the boys believe in the defensive system and they know if they had kept to it, it would have been much more difficult for New Zealand to break us down."
New Zealand coach Graham Henry has made four changes to his starting line-up, with centre Richard Kahui and wing Rudi Wulf set to make their All Blacks debuts. Blindside flanker Adam Thomson will make his first start, while fullback Leon MacDonald comes in for Mils Muliaina.
The former New Zealand captain Jerry Collins is joining the French side Toulon on a three-year contract. Last month flanker Collins became the latest in a series of high-profile players to quit the All Blacks, and had been linked to a move to Munster.
Collins (27) made his debut for New Zealand in 2001 and played most of his 48 Tests at blindside flanker. He captained the team three times and scored five tries.
NEW ZEALAND (v England, Christchurch, Saturday, 8.35am):MacDonald; Sivivatu, Kahui, Nonu, Wulf; Carter, Ellis; Tialata, Hore, Somerville; Thorn, Williams; Thomson , McCaw, So'oialo. Replacements: Mealamu, Woodcock, Boric, Lauaki, Cowan, Donald , Muliaina.
ENGLAND:Tait; Ojo, Tindall, Noon, Varndell; Flood, Care; Payne, Mears, Stevens; Palmer, Borthwick; Haskell, Rees, Narraway. Replacements: Hobson, Paice, Kay, Worsley, Richards, Barkley, Strettle.
U-20 WORLD CUP Ireland v Italy Arms Park, Cardiff, 7.0
ON THE assumption that Saturday's 45-27 dismissal of Tonga buried the confidence-sapping defeats to Argentina and New Zealand, the under-20s World Cup starts this evening for Eric Elwood's young squad, writes Gavin Cummiskey.
The head coach has made just one change for the 9th-to-12th play-off against Italy in the Cardiff Arms Park, the UCC tight-head prop Stephen Archer coming in for Ben Barclay. The winners play Scotland or Canada in a match to decide who finishes the tournament in ninth place.
In the competition's main semi-finals, New Zealand face the host nation, Wales, at Rodney Parade, while South Africa tackle the Grand Slam holders, England, also in Cardiff at 9.10pm
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