Scott Barrett Returns to Captain All Blacks vs England

New Zealand captain Scott Barrett has returned from injury to lead the All Blacks into their match against England at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday, as the team makes several adjustments to chase an unbeaten end-of-year tour.

Barrett, who suffered a deep cut to his leg requiring 12 stitches during New Zealand's 26-13 victory over Ireland in Chicago on November 1, missed the subsequent 25-17 win against Scotland at Murrayfield last weekend. The lock has been cleared to start alongside Fabian Holland in the second row, replacing Josh Lord, who moves to the bench. Head coach Scott Robertson confirmed Barrett's full participation in training this week, stating, "We've gone for our best team for this game, for this Test. It's remarkable that he healed so well, once you saw the cut."

The other changes stem from winger Caleb Clarke's concussion, sustained in the Scotland match, which rules him out. Robertson shifted Leicester Faingaanuku from outside centre to the left wing, allowing Billy Proctor to start at outside centre alongside Quinn Tupaea. In the back row, Simon Parker returns at blindside flanker, with Wallace Sititi dropping to the reserves. The front row remains unchanged,...