Saints duo Furbank and Freeman start for England in autumn opener

But there is no place in the matchday 23 for Trevor Davison, Alex Coles, Fin Smith and Ollie Sleightholme, who have all been training with the Red Rose.

Furbank has been handed the 15 shirt while Freeman will wear 11 as both players win their 12th cap for England.

“We’re excited for the challenge of playing against one of the best teams in world rugby,” said England boss Steve Borthwick.

“We’ll need to be accurate, keep our discipline, and maintain a level of intensity throughout the match, from the first whistle to the final moment.

"With just two games at Allianz Stadium in our last 15, it’s fantastic to be returning to play in front of our home crowd again. The energy and passion of our supporters always gives the team an extra lift.”

After England take on New Zealand in their first match of the 2024 Autumn Nations Series, the Red Rose then face Australia, South Africa and Japan.

England team to face New Zealand: 15 George Furbank (Saints, 11 caps); 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs, 6 caps), 13 Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 65 caps), 12 Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby, 27 caps), 11 Tommy Freeman (Saints, 11 caps); 10 Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 35 caps), 9 Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby, 6 caps); 1 Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 62 caps) – vice-captain, 2 Jamie George (Saracens, 93 caps) – captain, 3 Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 41 caps); 4 Maro Itoje (Saracens, 84 caps) – vice-captain, 5 George Martin (Leicester Tigers, 15 caps); 6 Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 7 caps), 7 Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 53 caps), 8 Ben Earl (Saracens, 33 caps) – vice-captain.

Replacements: 16 Theo Dan (Saracens, 14 caps), 17 Fin Baxter (Harlequins, 2 caps), 18 Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 115 caps), 19 Nick Isiekwe (Saracens, 11 caps), 20 Ben Curry (Sale Sharks, 5 caps), 21 Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 17 caps), 22 Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, 7 caps), 23 George Ford (Sale Sharks, 96 caps) – vice captain.