"Maro Itoje vs Scott Barrett" 5 Key Battles: England vs All Blacks - Second Test at Eden Park

There has been plenty of fallout from the first game of the two match Test series, after New Zealand recorded a 16-15 triumph in Dunedin. This match marked the first test in charge of the All Blacks for their freshly appointed head coach Scott Robertson. However, Steve Borthwick would only love it for his side to crash the party at Eden Park, and hand Razor an early yet unforgetable defeat in charge of New Zealand.

With plenty of talking points from the week, and bountiful areas of discussion heading into the second Test of the Summer series, here are five key battles to look out for ahead of England vs New Zealand. We would like to point out our pick for an honorary battle, with Marcus Smith and Damian McKenzie once again going at each other tee-for-tee, in the hopes better performances at the posts, with a shot clock in play for the Eden Park Test.

England fans were treated to the debut of Harlequins prop Fin Baxter last weekend, as he replaced his club and country mentor Joe Marler upon the loose-head of the scrum. Baxter was thrust into the mix after just 20 minutes, as Marler suffered a severe foot injury at an early scrum. Marler's foot gave out under the pressure of the All Blacks front row, with Lomax's drive buckling the support of the veteran prop.

The pressure is on for Baxter to step up, and put his right foot forward ahead of his maiden Test match start. In what has been truly an unforgettable week for the young prop, the 22-year-old has gone from receiving his first England cap from Marler, to taking onus of his number one jersey to face the All Blacks. There was plenty of scrummaging scrutiny upon that of the All Blacks, with the likes of Ethan de Groot heavily criticised in the week after his questionable scrummaging techniques went unpenalised by the referee.

The battle field has certainly been tested up front, with Baxter and Lomax out to re-ignite the fire from the bitterly cold battle in Dunedin. Earlier this week, Lomax shared his thoughts of the young prop, and expressed how he expects another tough battle when the two pack down their respective propping heads in Auckland. “I thought he (Fin Baxter) went well, for a 22 year old to make his debut for 60 minutes. I thought he played really well.”

"They (England) got a couple of penalties early on, it took us a while to adapt to that. Some of the pictures that they were showing, but we’ve definitely worked on it this week and just respected them (England) with good prep in that area that we want to attack this weekend.”

The one change for the All Blacks, sees scrum half TJ Perenara out of the squad after he sustained a knee injury. He has been replaced by Blues halfback Finlay Christie, with Chiefs nine Cortez Ratima named amongst the replacements in hope of making his debut. Christie is set to go up against Northampton Saints scrum half Alex Mitchell, with Ben Spencer on the bench to make an impact.

The Bath scrum half did not have the desired affect off the bench in Dunedin, as Spencer's attacking pace was a step away from Mitchell's mark and had a noticeable influence upon England's pace of attack. There has been plenty of discussion from a halfback pospective ahead of the match, as Christie spoke in the mid week media, ready to take the lead in the nine jersey with the impressive Ratima waiting in the wings.

“Yeah, we’ve (Christie and Ratima) worked really closely, I got on really well with him as soon as he come in. I didn’t really know him too well before this all blacks team assembled, but yeah, he’s a really good nine he’s had a great season. He’s got a great work ethic and he’s just looking to learn as much as he can.”

“We all sort of bounced off each other, it doesn’t really feel like that at all. We’re all just here to get better. And I’m learning just as much of them as they might be me. So, yeah, we’ve been getting on really well. And it’s obviously great still having TJ (Perenara) around with all his experience. So yeah, it’s been really good”

There was a late change to the England squad yesterday, with George Furbank ruled out of the second Test with the All Blacks due to a back injury. Furbank was amongst England's top ball carriers in the Dunedin match up, yet he was heavily hit by a sequence of Sevu Reece tackles. Leicester Tigers fullback Freddie Steward has been brought in to replace Furbank, and All Blacks captain Scott Barrett is hoping to see the fullback have a 'quiet night'.

"Yeah, George Furbank, he certainly challenged our line from your (England’s) counter attack. So I think Freddie would certainly do the same, he’s potentially a little bit safer, potentially under the high ball. So that’s a big strength of his game. So it’s about us trying to win those contests and hopefully he has a quiet night.”

Also, New Zealand assistant coach Scott Hansen has cast his eye upon the England call-up, with the former Crusaders coach getting impressed from what he has previously seen from the fullback. "Freddie Steward at the back, we understand his strengths. He’s very, very strong in the air, a big composed boy. They will adjust and be able to adjust some things, we possibly expect them to go in the air more. But they’re all things we’ve acknowledged during the week.

“England are going to focus on what they do well and their DNA, and Freddie Steward is a class fullback. Possibly (miss George Furbank) but again, there’s an opportunity for someone else to step up there. What we need to do is defend.”

All Blacks fullback Stephen Perofeta is set for a return to his home stadium, as the Blues man is set to experience a full-house at Eden Park. Perofeta spoke about how it has been an honour to be selected for the Eden Park Test, with Beauden Barrett once again named amongst the replacements to cover Perofeta and Damian McKenzie.

"Again, I’d be honoured and excited for the challenge and knowing it’s at what I call my second home. And the fans in Auckland, they are real passionate and seeing them fill up Eden Park will be pretty special."

The battle of the engine room sees England's Maro Itoje go up against Scott Barrett, with the All Blacks captain looking to build upon his first win as skipper this past weekend. Dunedin was the venue to host Barrett's maiden charge at the helm of the side, with Itoje out to ruin the Eden Park homecoming for Scott Barrett and his All Blacks.

It is no secret that Maro Itoje is widely respected by the All Blacks fans, pundits and former players. The second-most capped All Black lock of all time, Ian Jones, was full of praise for the Saracen, as he previewed the second row as England's biggest threat around the hotly contested breakdown. Ian Jones spoke exclusively to Ruck at Auckland's All Blacks Experience expedition and said;

“Itoje is just sensational, what an incredible man both on and off the field. I first laid eyes on him quite a few years ago when he actually captained the England under 20s, who had a world tournament here and I was mightily impressive both on and off the field then, and that hasn’t changed. So he was an absolute standout.”

Only second in lock Test caps for the All Blacks to Sam Whitelock, Ian Jones stands upon a position of authority when casting his opinion upon the All Blacks skipper. Speaking on how Scott Barrett impressed him as he lead the side to a narrow 16-15 victory over England at the Forsyth Barr Stadium, Ian Jones said;

“(Razor) May elevate his game, he’s a hell of a player anyway. But the great thing about Scotty Barrett is as captain is he’s a classic New Zealander. New Zealand will get them behind him because he is hard working. He is kind of staunch, ruthless, he is just a quintessential New Zealander and New Zealanders love him. The team will love him, they’ll get behind him, he’s a hell of a player who will go the whole 80."

A fearsome battle within the back row, England and New Zealand currently boast two of the top number eights across World Rugby. The closed roof of the Forsyth Barr Stadium was barely able to enclose these two titans, as Earl and Savea met time and again in the viciously contested Dunedin breakdowns. Both the Saracen and Wellington powerhouses have discussed their opposite man in recent press conferences and post-match mix zones, beginning with Savea who said;

“Yeah, Ben’s nice ay. he’s got good feet at the line. And you know, he plays really well and is a strong ball carrier. Yeah, that’s something that we need to identify and nullify, but It’d be very hard for us as a team. That’s how we want to play, get the ball in our hands, and jam.” - Savea

“I’m a big fan of Ben (Earl), how he plays it’s kind of similar to myself. He’s pretty swaggy with the ball and runs hard and he’s got some good feet.”

Ben Earl was able to give a fresh reaction to what it was like to take on the All Blacks back row, as he spoke to the media hot off the frozen pitch in Dunedin. Speaking from the heart at the home of the Highlanders, Earl expressed his frustration at the defeat but also gained valuable experience ahead of the second Test.

“It was great to test yourself against some of the best in the world in terms of Ardie and Dalton Papali’I and those guys. It was a really hard fought battle with myself, Sam (Underhill), Chandler (Cunningham-South), Tom Curry coming off the bench, we good value for the most part of that game. We can hold our heads high in that regard and look forward to kicking on for another battle next week."