England will face New Zealand in the second Test at the AMI Stadium in Christchurch on Saturday with their backs firmly against the wall.

Last week's encounter in Auckland showed a soft England side that was easily disposed of by an All Blacks team that never actually hit top gear.

Only two opportunist tries by debut wing Topsy Ojo saved the Poms from total annihilation. Ojo was also one of very few England players to come out of that match with any credit.

So, one would reckon that the England boys would have taken their hiding in Auckland, attended the post match function, and then retire to their team hotel to think about their failings, before starting fresh in an effort to turn things around.

Unfortunately, all indications are to the contrary.

Allegations of mysterious "incidents" after that match involving late night shenanigans with the likes of 'Angel Barbie' have been making the headlines, and the England team management has been scrambling to contain the situation.

It is not what the England camp needed after taking a beating, and the media circus surrounding the issue would have played havoc with the team's preparations for the second Test.

Add to that some grumbling in the media from players that have been dropped for the Christchurch match (that's you, Olly Barkley), and the fact that England's go-to guy in the scrums, Andrew Sheridan, is unavailable for Saturday, and you have an England team in turmoil.

They will need some sort of a miracle to salvage anything against a New Zealand outfit looking to consolidate and develop new combinations.

But perhaps England can find a little bit of respite in Graham Henry's team selection.

The All Black coach has made four changes to his starting XV, and England will breathe a sigh of relief that the centre partnership of Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith has been broken up.

Uncapped Richard Kahui is the man who comes into the side for Smith at number 13, alongside the explosive Nonu, with the ever-dangerous Leon McDonald slotting in at fullback at the expense of Mils Muliaina.

Rudi Wulf will also debut for the All Blacks on the left wing, while Adam Thomson slots in at number six.

The All Blacks are obviously still tinkering with combinations and experimenting with positional switches ahead of the Tri-Nations.

Coach Henry's fondness of his rotation policy has obviously not dimmed whatsoever, but the limp-wristed challenge that has so far emanated from England has taken the pressure off the hosts completely, leaving Henry pretty much free to alter his squad willy-nilly.

England stand-in coach Rob Andrew has made six changes for the second Test. There is only one enforced change in the forward pack, as Tim Payne comes in for Andrew Sheridan in the front row.

The other five changes are in the backline, where Andrew made radical changes, most notably switching his entire 9-10-12 combination.

That is an indication of how poor England were in the first Test, and also a statement by Andrew that he will not tolerate such incompetence.

Andrew will be hoping that England will at least defend better in that midfield channel this week, after Nonu and Smith wreaked havoc there last week.

All in all, England are appearing to be an extremely poor, disjointed and indisciplined bunch at the moment.

They will have to find some motivation on Saturday to prevent this tour being labelled as one of the worst in their proud history.

Players to watch:

For New Zealand: New cap Richard Kahui gets his chance after impressing in the Super 14. It will be fascinating to see what the tough-tackling centre can bring to the table. He certainly has big shoes to fill in the absence of Conrad Smith. Also look out for classy fullback Leon McDonald on his return to the side. He is sure to bring stability to the All Blacks, not to mention a massive counter-attacking threat. Adam Thomson is another relatively new face in the Kiwi camp — the young Highlander will be eager to stake a big claim as he starts in the number six jersey.

For England: The men in the back need to stop the men in black. The likes of Mike Tindall and Jamie Noon best bring their best defence along to Christchurch. They will need some serious support from loosies Tom Rees and James Haskell, who will need to get busy in the breakdown to win some ball for England and relieve the pressure on the defence. Tom Varndell has had a great season for Leicester in the Guinness Premiership, and gets his first chance on the international stage.

Head to head: As always, the flyhalf battle will be most important. Toby Flood comes into the match under extreme pressure to outperform a master in Dan Carter. But the real test will be in that 10-12 channel, where England were so vulnerable last week. Jamie Noon will be the man who needs to stop the in-form Ma'a Nonu at number 12. The battle of the speedsters will also be of great interest, as England's two newcomers, Topsy Ojo and Tom Varndell, square up against a rookie and a master in Rudi Wulf and Sitiveni Sivivatu.

Recent results:

2008: New Zealand won 37-20, Auckland
2006: New Zealand won 41-20, London
2005: New Zealand won 23-19, London
2004: New Zealand won 36-12, Auckland
2004: New Zealand won 36-3, Dunedin
2003: England won 15-13, Wellington
2002: England won 31-28, London
1999: New Zealand won 30-16, London
1998: New Zealand won 40-10, Auckland
1998: New Zealand won 64-22, Dunedin

Prediction: England haven't got a snowball's chance in this match. They have been marinated and spiced, and will be grilled to tender perfection by the All Blacks in the cauldron of Jade Stadium. All Blacks to win by 20 points.

The teams:

New Zealand: 15 Leon MacDonald, 14 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 13 Richard Kahui, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Rudi Wulf, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Rodney So'oialo, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Greg Somerville, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Neemia Tialata.
Replacements: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Tony Woodcock, 18 Anthony Boric, 19 Sione Lauaki, 20 Jimmy Cowan, 21 Stephen Donald, 22 Mils Muliaina.

England: 15 Mathew Tait, 14 Topsy Ojo, 13 Mike Tindall, 12 Jamie Noon, 11 Tom Varndell, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Danny Care, 8 Luke Narraway, 7 Tom Rees, 6 James Haskell, 5 Steve Borthwick (captain), 4 Tom Palmer, 3 Matt Stevens, 2 Lee Mears, 1 Tim Payne.
Replacements: 16 David Paice, 17 Jason Hobson, 18 Ben Kay, 19 Joe Worsley, 20 Pete Richards, 21 Olly Barkley, 22 David Strettle.

Date: Saturday, June 21
Venue: AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Kick-off: 7.35pm (7.35am GMT)
Conditions: Fine. Fresh northeasterly wind. High 13°C, Low 3°C.
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
Touch judges: Marius Jonker (South Africa), Matt Goddard (Australia)
Television match official: Johann Meuwesen (South Africa)
Assessor: Stuart Beissel (New Zealand)

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