Team of the Tour: Picking a Combined England and All Blacks XV from Summer Tests

The first Test was decided by the finest of margins, as New Zealand scraped passed England by just one point in Dunedin. The 16-15 win will best be remembered for the controversy from the kicking tee, as All Blacks fly half Damian McKenzie had his kick timed out at the Forsyth Barr Stadium, despite the absence of a stadium shot clock. Marcus Smith left eight crucial points on the pitch in Dunedin, reminiscent of Jonny Wilkinson's struggles at goal in the same stadium during the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

The second Test saw England arrive at Eden Park, with the intention of ending the 30-year unbeaten streak held by the All Blacks in Auckland. Newly appointed head coach Scott 'Razor' Robertson was able to oversee his side to a second Test match win, with the final score reading 24-17 following a blockbuster match.

England took the match to the wire, and were critical of the decision to bring the match to a close, after their rolling maul drive ended short of the line, yet was deemed to be 'held up' by Beauden and Jordie Barrett. Regardless of the on-field controversy from both the Dunedin and Auckland fixtures, England and All Blacks fans were treated to two exhilarating fixtures across the country's North and South Islands.

With plenty of players impressing in the two Test matches, we have pieced together a combined XV of the top performers. Here is RUCK's combined XV that we've called the 'Black Roses', made up of the best players from England's tour of New Zealand.

Beginning in the back three of the 'Black Roses', we have selected Beauden Barrett to be our fullback. Despite not starting in either of the Test matches against England, there was no denying the immediate impact and elevation of attacking tempo he brought to New Zealand's second half. Benched behind Stephen Perofeta, for what turned out to be a stunning tactic from Scott Robertson, Barrett's break to set up Mark Tele'a and match saving tackle on Jamie George, were undoubted highlights from the second Test.

On the right wing we have opted for a man who surrounded himself with pre-match scrutiny, after an All Blacks press conference did not go to plan. Sevu Reece expressed how he was not aware of England wings Manny Feyi-Waboso or Tommy Freeman ahead of the first Test, yet marked the Dunedin battle with a well taken try. Returning to the All Blacks for the first time in 18 months, the Crusader reminded All Blacks fans as to what they had been missing throughout the Rugby World Cup.

Our pick for the alternate wing is Manny Feyi-Waboso, who certainly left New Zealand with the All Blacks remembering his name. The Exeter Chiefs man had a stunning Summer tour, as he scored against Japan and also crossed over for a try in each match against the All Blacks. The pick of the bunch for Feyi-Waboso had to be his try at Eden Park, as he collected Smith's cross-field kick, stepped inside a tackle attempt before out-pacing the back-peddling defenders to wrap up a stunning solo effort.

Moving onto the midfield axis for the 'Black Roses', and we have selected an all-New Zealand partnership. The centre duo of Reiko Ioane and Jordie Barrett were brilliant against England, with the playmakers asking questions of England's defensive acumen, as well as leaving plenty of bruises upon their bodies. Ioane and Barrett have accumulated over 100 All Blacks caps between them, with a symbiotic relationship that builds the core of the back-line.

Ioane and Barrett linked up for numerous double tackles against England, and routinly left their opposite men feeling the effects. The All Black centres telegraphed the hard lines of Ollie Lawrence at Eden Park, and forced three consecutive knock-ons through an abundance of pressure upon the Bath man. Whilst Henry Slade was at his classy best in Auckland, the Exeter man was a step off the pace for the Dunedin Test, which has handed the starting jerseys to the telepathic All Black duo.

Whilst Marcus Smith came under scrutiny for leaving crucial points on the pitch in Dunedin, the Harlequin had a stunning performance around the park in all other respects. After Scott Barrett name-checked the fly half as a top England threat in the pre-match media, it was abundantly clear that the All Blacks had their eye on the playmaker, with pressure mounting upon the 10 channel throughout the Dunedin battle.

Smith reached down into his arsenal for the Eden Park match, and put on a scintillating display in Auckland. Two cross-field kicks provided the assists for Feyi-Waboso and Tommy Freeman's tries, with Smith also starring at fullback in the absence of George Furbank and later Freddie Steward. It was a tough call between Finlay Christie and Alex Mitchell for the scrum half spot, but we have decided to stick with the Blues nine as he stepped up to start.

After TJ Perenara suffered a knee injury in Dunedin, Christie rose to the occasion off the bench to orchestrate the second half offensive against the touring side. Christie would then be named to start in the Eden Park return match, and spent the week nurturing Chiefs hotshot Cortez Ratima, with the replacement scrum half making a debut off the bench. Christie had a solid outing upon both occasions, with his off-field work getting him the nod ahead of the Northampton halfback.

The easiest position to occupy was the loose-head spot, after Fin Baxter ran the gauntlet and came out unscathed upon his debut. The 22-year-old stepped up off the bench and dominated the scrum, with Joe Marler forced off after just 20 minutes with a foot injury. Baxter was brilliant on debut in Dunedin, and rolled this momentum round excellently for his first Test start at Eden Park. Baxter put in a monstrous 70-minute shift in the second Test, and rightly received the plaudits from Dan Cole after the match.

Joining Baxter in the front row is his England captain Jamie George, with the bulk of the reason behind his selection exemplified in his performance at Eden Park. George and his All Black counterpart Codie Taylor were like-for-like in Dunedin, with the Saracen given the nod to start, after his replacement 'u-turn' at Eden Park. George was substituted off for Theo Dan, yet just 30 seconds later his Saracens understudy vacated the pitch after taking a heavy hit to the head. George returned to see out the match, and was impressive at scrum-time.

Rounding off the front row is Tyrel Lomax, as the All Blacks prop was New Zealand's best scrummager and worked well in the loose. After plenty of mid-week discussions around Ethan de Groot's unpenalised scrummaging in Dunedin, Lomax silenced the critics and won a handful of scrum-penalties from the tight-head. Whilst Fin Baxter took a starring role up front in Dunedin, there is no mistaking that Lomax was the box office prop at Eden Park.

When Maro Itoje is at his best, he is genuinely the best lock in the world. Itoje's talents are admired over both hemispheres, with the Saracen garnering plenty of respect from the All Blacks aficionados ahead of both Test matches. The likes of Scott Robertson praised the lock for curtailing his side's line-out momentum, and the second most capped All Black lock Ian Jones hand-picked Itoje as England's top threat. A class act who scored a crucial try in Dunedin, Itoje takes the starting shirt for the 'Black Roses'.

Partnering Itoje in the engine room is the new All Blacks captain Scott Barrett, with the Crusader off to winning ways for his time in charge of the side. Appointed to the role from his former Christchurch boss Scott Robertson, Barrett took up the armband from an injured Sam Cane, with the back-row unexpected to get it back any time soon. Barrett was a brilliant leader in both Tests, he kept his head and inspired the best from his teammates with a tireless work ethic, that has one the hearts and minds of the hard to please Kiwi fans.

The final chunk of our 'Black Roses' squad, begins with Chandler Cunningham-South taking up the six jersey. The New Zealand raised flanker has come a long way from the Canterbury academy, with Razor Robertson expecting big things of the man who in his words 'took the white jersey'. Cunningham-South's eagerness to star in his former homeland was evident with his explosive ball carries and staunch rearguard defending. The Harlequin continues to improve upon every England cap, with the flanker taking a starting role for the Test tour.

On the open-side flank we have selected Dalton Papali'i, who was the All Blacks top performer over the breakdown and made numerous turnovers when the chips were down. The Blues man has been on fine form throughout the latest Super Rugby season and was instrumental in his side's title winning campaign. Papali'i rolled this into his black jersey performance at Eden Park, and ran out an exhaustive performance for his side against a valiant England squad.

Taking the number eight shirt is Ardie Savea, who handled the bountiful pressure upon his shoulders throughout the two Tests. Savea was in the spotlight given his call-in from Japan, with no place in Scott Robertson's back row for Blues man Hoskins Sotutu, who had been brilliant all season in Super Rugby. Savea reminded the New Zealand fans of his talents with inspired performances across Dunedin and Auckland, that garnered a name-check from England number eight Ben Earl.