'World Player of the Year' - 5 Players to Watch: England vs All Blacks Summer Tests

England now turn their attention towards the Southern Hemisphere, with a two match series incoming against New Zealand next month. Borthwick and co will head down to the land of the All Blacks this week, ahead of Test matches in Dunedin (July 6th) and Auckland (July 13th).

England will have to acclimatise and get used to the far colder conditions, with temperatures expecting to peak at just nine degrees Celsius in Dunedin, compared to the 26 degree humidity they played through in Japan. Borthwick has been forced to make an altercation to his travelling squad, after Charlie Ewels was sent off for a dangerous ruck clear out against Japan. The Bath lock returns to Somerset, and Saracens second row Nick Isiekwe will jet out to Auckland to meet up with the squad tomorrow.

There is no denying the aura of the All Blacks, and there is now more mystique around the side as New Zealand have entered a new era. Scott 'Razor' Robertson has been appointed to the head coach role, with the break-dancing coach set to name his first match day 23 next week. Robertson won seven consecutive Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders (from 2017 to 2023) and All Blacks fans are eagerly anticipating the squad which he will select ahead of the opening Test with England.

Regardless of who is selected for the back-to-back battles between the black and white jerseys, there will be an assortment of top talents on display from both sides. With Sky Sports set to host all the action from the Highlanders' Forsyth Barr Stadium and the All Blacks spiritual home of Eden Park, here are five players to look out for ahead of the upcoming Summer series.

We begin our list with one of the most talked about players in the Northern Hemisphere, in Harlequins halfback Marcus Smith. A definitive talisman in the famous quartered shirt, Smith has also reminded Steve Borthwick as to why he should be starting in the 10 jersey for England despite fierce competition from his Northampton namesake Fin Smith.

Marcus Smith ran out a dynamic performance against Japan, as he led from the front for a true fly half clinic. A brace of assists saw the Harlequin utilise both his wide miss-passing off his 'weaker' side, and an inch perfect cross-field kick, to provide the ammunition for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Henry Slade's tries. As well as claiming the assist for the Exeter duo's scores, Smith wrapped up his performance in Tokyo with a try of his own, as he split the Cherry Blossom defence with an explosive acceleration of pace.

Also, there is an exciting option for Marcus Smith to play out of his regular halfback position and return to fullback for the fixtures against New Zealand. Should Fin Smith prove to be un-ignorable in the eyes of the England head coach, the Saints man could well slot in to the 10 shirt and Marcus could start in the 15 jersey, for the first time since the Rugby World Cup. With George Ford out of the mix for the battles with the All Blacks, expect a starring role for Marcus Smith across New Zealand's North and South Islands.

We stick with England for our second entry, as back-row battler Ben Earl has established himself as one of the first names on Steve Borthwick's team sheet. A match-winner across both number eight and on the flank, Earl optimises what it means to take pride in the England shirt, with his expressive cheers heard after every turnover of possession for his side. Whilst some rugby fans view the celebrations as 'over the top', there is no denying the heart that Earl has for England and his drive to succeed in every appearence.

The Saracen has been relishing in his opportunities under Borthwick, having been rather overlooked by Eddie Jones when the Australian was at the helm of England. Jones would often prefer Billy Vunipola to that of Earl, with critics reaching a fever-pitch when Earl won the 2022 Premiership Player of the Year Award, and could barely get on the pitch for Jones' side. Now, Earl's statistics in an England shirt speaks for itself, as he topped the carry chart in the 2024 Guinness Six Nations with 73, a massive 15 better than second placed Cameron Winnett of Wales.

Earl as vocalised his ambitions to become the best player in the world, and genuinely believes in his ability to surpass the likes of Antoine Dupont and Ardie Savea to the crown. The back-row will go head-to-head with the All Blacks back-row over the two Tests (more on him shortly) in what is nothing short of an earth-shattering collision between two of the world's best number eights.

Unstoppable at his very best, with a metres-making engine that never seems to falter, Earl has also teased a potential run out in the midfield, should Borthwick need to utilise the Swiss Army knife as a battering ram upon the All Black centres.

We turn our attention towards the the man recognised by World Rugby as the best in the world, as New Zealand number eight Ardie Savea is currently enjoying the form of his life. Awarded with the World Rugby Men's Player of the Year Award the day after the All Blacks took home silver medals from the Rugby World Cup Final, Savea is a natural leader that leads through his actions.

The All Blacks had to call upon Savea to lead at multiple points of their latest Rugby World Cup campaign, as regular captain Sam Cane was side-lined for two very different reasons. The day before New Zealand were set to kick-off their tournament against France to ignite the competition, Cane suffered a back injury in the All Blacks captain's run and was forced to withdraw. Savea also took the lead when Cane was sent off in the Rugby World Cup Final, which was the first time a red card had been brandished with the Web Ellis trophy on the line.

Savea's actions were recognised in his aforementioned personal accolade, and the back-row has since gone on to take the Japan Rugby League One by storm. The eight-man headed off to the Kobe Steelers after the Rugby World Cup return, and has found a new lease on life, which has freshened up his game after over a decade with the Hurricanes in Super Rugby.

If we thought Savea was dangerous enough, it is going to be exciting to see how he has elevated his game under former Australian head coach Dave Rennie. Savea's mentality and willingness to improve makes him an ever-changing threat, that could cause a lot of problems for Steve Borthwick's England over the coming weeks.

We keep with the All Blacks for our fourth entry onto this list, as Damian McKenzie has taken his Chiefs to new heights throughout the latest Super Rugby Pacific season. McKenzie was instrumental in the Chiefs campaign, which saw the Hamilton based side finish runners-up in the Final. Versatile across both fullback and fly half, McKenzie's adaptability to share the 15 and 10 jerseys with Beauden Barrett, makes him an essential cog for Scott Robertson's new side, that could well be without Richie Mo'unga for the fixtures against England.

Robertson looks set to forego any Richie Mo'unga involvement, as his former Crusaders linchpin has signed a multi-year deal with Japanese club Toshiba Brave Lupus, as well as the speculation in the halfback pursuing a Test match career with Tonga. It has been reported that the All Blacks negotiation team are trying to bring Mo'unga back to New Zealand, but in the meantime Damian McKenzie is a more than capable stand in at first receiver.

McKenzie bossed the back-line from fly half this past season, with try scoring contributions against the Brumbies and Western Force. McKenzie's metronomic kicking from the tee is accompanied by his trademark grin, and the sharpshooter accrued a total of 177 points in just 15 Super Rugby matches. With an explosive change of gear and the ability to step past opposition defenders in a phone box, McKenzie brings an exciting element to the All Blacks back-line that erupts when he gets the ball in hand.

Capeable of making a spark out of nothing, the Chiefs man has been tearing up the domestic competition and is only looking to press on to the international stage. With Mo'unga expectedly out of the picture for the two fixtures against England, McKenzie is eyeing up a golden opportunity to stake a claim for either the 10 or 15 jersey, depending on how Scott Robertson deploys the equally versatile Beauden Barrett throughout his back-line.

Whilst we could wax lyrical about every top All Black or England talent that is set to grace Dunedin and Auckland next month, we only have space for one more box office player on this list. We have opted for a break-out star from the Premiership winning Northampton Saints squad, as Tommy Freeman has since transferred the green, black and gold glory into stand out performances for his country.

Freeman has been a pivotal player in the Premiership winning Saints back-line, that also contributes Alex Mitchell, Fin Smith, Fraser Dingwall, Ollie Sleightholme and George Furbank to the touring England squad. Such familiarity with his Saints teammates has transferred seamlessly onto the Test match stage, with Borthwick emphasising the importance of a quick turnaround following the Premiership Final upon announcing his squad to tour Japan and New Zealand.

Freeman started on the left wing, as England despatched Japan for their first win of the 2024/25 season. Despite not getting his name on the score-sheet, the Northampton man was amongst Borthwick's top performers in Tokyo, and presented a telepathic level of communication with his Franklin's Gardens brother-in-arms George Furbank, with expert game management across the back-three.

Freeman got his first taste of the England experience on the 2022 Tour of Australia, as former head coach Eddie Jones awarded the Saints man a debut against his homeland. The flying wing has developed through his mental and skilful approach throughout the past two years, and recorded impressive statistics throughout the latest Guinness Six Nations campaign. Freeman carried for 329m in the Championship, which was the second highest for any England player (behind Ben Earl) and ninth overall.