All Blacks: SBW stakes strong claim for place at Twickenham

Conrad Smith is a likely starter at centre against England. Photo / Getty Images

The All Blacks' midfield stocks - so thin last year that Ben Smith was shoehorned into centre - are now in rude health even despite the absence of the injured Ma'a Nonu, with Sonny Bill Williams' impressive performance in Chicago placing him in the mix to play England at Twickenham.

Williams, who scored two tries against the USA at Soldier Field, exceeded the expectations of the All Blacks' coaches, who have some tough decisions to make this week.

Ryan Crotty, who played well against the Eagles outside Williams, is a candidate for centre, but will probably lose out to the experience and reliability of Conrad Smith against England, with Malakai Fekitoa, who like Smith didn't play against the States last weekend, vying with Williams for the No 12 jersey.

It could be that Fekitoa, who has had a stunning introduction to the international game this year, will start alongside Conrad Smith, but Williams will have strong claims for a place on the bench at least despite his recent comeback after two years playing league.

"It looked like he had never been gone and that's a big credit to him," assistant coach Ian Foster said. "He's worked really hard behind the scenes on getting up to speed on the strategy side and some of the little bits of our game. Overall, we were delighted with how he played - he probably exceeded our expectations in a lot of ways, just in terms of the way he trusted his instincts. He didn't worry about being in the right place, his instincts eventually got him into the right place anyway, so that's a positive sign.

"The more options we've got, the better," Foster said of his plentiful midfield candidates. "We know what can happen in this game, you can get some injuries and you have to put young players in.

"I guess we've had to do that in the last 12 to 18 months, particularly in the midfield with Ryan and Malakai both coming in and getting starts in the Rugby Championship. Long-term that's been great for us.

"In fact, I thought Ryan had a really strong game at centre and just showed he looks settled at this level now. Yes, we've got some good options."

Williams limped from Soldier Field with a bruised leg but was positive afterwards and yesterday Foster said he was definitely in the mix. The backs coach added that Williams, who has covered wing in the past for the All Blacks, was being considered only as a second-five.

The All Blacks' midfield will likely be a focal point for their attack on Sunday (NZT) against an England team hampered by injuries to their pack and backline.

The loss of centre Manu Tuilagi is a big blow, with Kyle Eastmond, embarrassingly exposed in the third test in Hamilton in June, a possibility to start.

Julian Savea is likely to start on the left wing for the visitors and Ben Smith will return on the right after being rested against the Wallabies and USA, with Israel Dagg at fullback.

The other big decision the selectors must make is at first-five, with Aaron Cruden, who started against the States, Dan Carter, Beauden Barrett and Colin Slade, called in as cover for Cory Jane, all vying for the No10 jersey.

Coach Steve Hansen is likely to start either Cruden or Barrett, with Carter possibly missing out on a place on the bench in favour of Slade due to his lack of game time - 30 minutes against USA notwithstanding.