All Blacks clash is in the pipeline for England

ENGLAND are exploring the scope for staging a showdown with New Zealand this autumn after receiving backing for the proposal from Eddie Jones.

The All Blacks have been approached at a preliminary stage over the possibility of facing the RBS 6 Nations champions on November 4, the date allocated for their fixture against the Barbarians.

In a quirk of the international schedule, the game’s top two teams are not due to meet until late next year, but it is understood that, with the support of Jones, the All Blacks have been sounded out over an additional meeting.

“We are definitely playing New Zealand in 2018,” read a statement issued by the Rugby Football Union.

“If there now might be an opportunity to play them this year we want to pursue it, but there are many parts to this and many considerations to be discussed.”

Among the hoops to jump through is the size of New Zealand’s fee given the Test would fall outside the international window.

Further obstacles are presented by the need to negotiate with the Aviva Premiership clubs for player release and concerns over player welfare that will accompany any decision to add the All Blacks to an autumn fixture list that already includes Australia, Argentina and Samoa.

“We haven’t been asked for our support.

We will need to understand the details of the proposal before responding,” read a statement issued by Premiership Rugby.