Sleightholme set for England debut as six Saints stars are selected against New Zealand
Ollie Sleightholme is in line for his England after being named on the bench for Saturday's Test match against New Zealand in Dunedin (kick-off 8.05am BST).
Sleightholme, last season's top try scorer in the Gallagher Premiership, is one of six Saints stars named in the 23, with Alex Coles and Fin Smith also among the replacements.
Alex Mitchell, Tommy Freeman and George Furbank, who all started the first match of the Summer Series, against Japan, retain their starting spots.
Jamie George will captain an England side which has two changes to the starting 15 that won 52-17 in Tokyo with Joe Marler and Will Stuart included.
The England skipper will once again be supported by four vice-captains: Maro Itoje, Ben Earl, Henry Slade and Marler.
In the front row, George is named at hooker alongside Marler at loosehead prop and Stuart at tighthead.
At lock, Itoje partners George Martin. The back row sees Sam Underhill at openside flanker, Chandler Cunningham-South on the blindside, and Earl at No.8.
In the half-back berths, scrum-half Mitchell is paired with Marcus Smith at 10.
The midfield sees Ollie Lawrence named at inside centre with Slade at 13.
In the back three, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso starts on the right wing, with Freeman on the left and Furbank selected at full-back to round off the starting line-up.
“It doesn’t get more challenging than playing New Zealand at home, but it’s exactly where we want to be,” said England boss Steve Borthwick.
“We want to find out more about ourselves and test ourselves against one of the best teams in the world.
“Test rugby is a game of fine margins, so our mindset is going to be very important on Saturday.
"We’ll need to be mentally strong, play a tactically smart game and ensure we maintain our discipline.
“The Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin is a great venue with a quick surface, and the closed roof should make the atmosphere very special.”
England team to face New Zealand: 15. George Furbank (Saints, 10 caps); 14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs, 4 caps), 13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 63 caps) – vice-captain, 12. Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby, 25 caps), 11. Tommy Freeman (Saints, 9 caps); 10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 33 caps), 9. Alex Mitchell (Saints, 16 caps); 1. Joe Marler (Harlequins, 94 caps) – vice-captain, 2. Jamie George (Saracens, 91 caps) – captain, 3. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 39 caps); 4. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 82 caps) – vice-captain, 5. George Martin (Leicester Tigers, 13 caps); 6. Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 5 caps), 7. Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 36 caps), 8. Ben Earl (Saracens, 31 caps) – vice-captain.
Replacements: 16. Theo Dan (Saracens, 13 caps), 17. Fin Baxter (Harlequins, uncapped), 18. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 113 caps), 19. Alex Coles (Saints, 5 caps), 20. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 51 caps), 21. Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby, 5 caps), 22. Fin Smith (Saints, 3 caps), 23. Ollie Sleightholme (Saints, uncapped).