Pace? Playmaking? Aerial Ability? England's Back-three Puzzle

Quilter Nations Series: England v New Zealand

Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham Date: Saturday, 15 November Kick-off: 15:10 GMT

Coverage: Live connected BBC Radio 5 Live and nan BBC Sport website and app

There is simply a tricky alchemy to putting together a modern backmost three.

Ability nether nan precocious shot is much important than ever, pinch chasing players now having an unimpeded way into nan aerial contest.

Raw velocity is an instant advantage that tin move rare, unfastened abstraction into points connected nan board.

An further playmaking option, capable to measurement successful astatine aliases alongside fly-half and springiness their squad different options and shape, has go progressively common.

Scotland's Blair Kinghorn, New Zealand's Damian McKenzie, France's Thomas Ramos and South Africa's Damien Willemse are each Test full-backs pinch fly-half experience.

With England, coach Steve Borthwick has plentifulness of spot successful each departments.

A 11-15-14 operation of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Henry Arundell and Cadan Murley would beryllium explosively quick.

Similarly a trio of Tommy Freeman, Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck would beryllium difficult to amended successful nan air, while Marcus Smith and Elliot Daly, backmost successful nan squad having recovered from a surgery limb suffered connected British and Irish Lions work successful July, connection playmaking smarts successful nan backfield.

Up against New Zealand connected Saturday, Borthwick will person to prime done injuries, experience, his ain tactical gameplan and what nan All Blacks mightiness person up their sleeves to find a winning formula.

Former England helping Ugo Monye believes, pinch Freeman struggling pinch an injury from nan weekend's triumph complete Fiji, Borthwick will beryllium bounced into a operation of Feyi-Waboso and Arundell, either broadside of Steward astatine full-back.

"If Elliot Daly was fresh and up to speed, I would prime him astatine 15," Monye told Rugby Union Weekly.

"But he hasn't played successful a agelong time, and I don't cognize whether he is afloat fit.

"Manny [Feyi-Waboso] plays connected nan correct helping 100%, then, if it is not Daly, it has to beryllium Steward, pinch Arundell connected nan near wing.

"It is simply a people combination, but you tin spot really pinch a mates of injuries and a small spot of disruption, you are putting retired a backmost 3 that isn't portion of nan original plan.

"It's still a really beardown backmost three, but erstwhile you look astatine nan blueprint of really England want to play, it's not nan cleanable backmost three. That type of aerial crippled that England dangle connected is not Arundell's game.

"He likes nan shot successful his hands and connected nan floor, his crippled is not chasing precocious kicks and getting nan shot back. The different 2 [Steward and Feyi-Waboso] are exceptional astatine that though."

Former England scrum-half Danny Care says nan back-to-back grind of nan autumn internationals - pinch 4 matches connected successive weekends - is testing England's spot successful extent successful nan backfield.

"For nan past weeks we person been talking astir really heavy and beardown this England squad is, well, we are going to person to spot it this weekend," he told Rugby Union Weekly.

Monye agreed, suggesting England whitethorn person to opt for 3 backs connected nan eight-man chair - alternatively than nan 2 they person carried successful wins complete Australia and Fiji - to let Borthwick to support an unfamiliar combination.

Matt Dawson, who won nan World Cup pinch England successful 2003, doesn't judge nan versatile Marcus Smith should beryllium successful nan back-three speech astatine all, preferring his imaginative talents arsenic a game-changing fly-half replacement, alternatively than astatine full-back.

"I don't deliberation Marcus is simply a full-back astatine nan highest level," he wrote successful his BBC Sport column. "I struggle to spot nan use of playing him there.

"I want nan shot successful his hands arsenic overmuch arsenic possible, but I judge that should beryllium successful nan beforehand line, peculiarly successful nan last 20 minutes."