England "will meet fire with fire and a little bit more" when they face a bruised New Zealand, says head coach Simon Middleton.

"There is going to be a reaction this weekend. That's what we want because the bigger the challenge, the better," Middleton said.

England have won 15 Tests in a row.

Their last defeat was in July 2019 and they have only been beaten in one of their past 28 Tests.

After two years away from Test rugby because of the pandemic, New Zealand arrived in England as a relative unknown but few could have predicted such a heavy defeat.

The Red Roses showed all the composure of a side ready to take the title of world champions from the Black Ferns when the five-time winners host the World Cup in 2022.

But the visitors will be buoyed by the return of Olympic champion Portia Woodman on the wing at Franklin's Gardens.

Newly appointed England captain Poppy Cleall agrees that the challenge will be greater on Sunday, with the Red Roses again needing victory to keep their place at the top of the world rankings.

"As a sporting nation, they're so proud," she said.

"They're going to come with that emotional energy. They are going to be pumped up, raring to go.

"We're expecting a massive upfront battle and some very physical collisions."

Harrison chosen over Rowland at 10

Fly-half Zoe Harrison was instrumental in last weekend's win and as a result retains the starting 10 jersey as England continue to search for retired World Cup winner Katy Daley-Mclean's replacement.

Middleton said the plan had been to give Helena Rowland a start at fly-half on Sunday, but Harrison's player-of-the-match performance was too good to ignore.

Instead Rowland - who played 10 for England during the Six Nations - starts at inside centre with Holly Aitchison once again at 13 after her try-scoring debut.

Middleton hinted that if Harrison produces more of the same this autumn, she could keep her hands on the 10 jersey.

"Zoe went fantastically well last week," he said.

"We've been searching for that performance for a while so it's really important that we back that performance up for her."

That does not necessarily mean Rowland will be pushed out of the starting XV, as this weekend's line-up demonstrates.

"Helena is an exceptional distributor and has got an exceptional kicking, running and tackling game," Middleton added.

"She is a pretty special player."

Exeter win 'a real eye-opener' for women's rugby - Dawson

As with all of the Red Roses' autumn Tests, last Sunday's opener was live on BBC Two and there was a sell-out crowd at Sandy Park.

Given the atmosphere and the quality of the match, former England scrum-half Matt Dawson called it "a real eye-opener for a lot of people who need to watch more women's rugby".

More than 9,000 tickets have been sold for Sunday's Franklin's Gardens encounter and Cleall said it was important progress for women's rugby and women's sport in general.

"It's just that opportunity and that visibility for us as women in sport," she said.

"We're taking these opportunities and we're running with them. We're getting these figures that are exceeding expectations and post-Covid we're selling out Premiership stadiums.

"Once we get the opportunities it's only going to be better for women's sport. We're thriving and we're definitely improving."

Line-ups

England: Kildunne; Thompson, Aitchison, Rowland, Dow; Harrison, Infante; Cornborough, Cokayne, Bern, Aldcroft, Ward, Matthews, Packer, Cleall (capt).

Replacements: Davies, Botterman, Muir, Millar-Mills, Hunter, MacDonald, Tuima, McKenna.

New Zealand: Robins-Reti; Woodman, Fluhler, Brooker, Leti-I'iga; Demant, Cocksedge; Love, Houpapa-Barrett, Nelso, Ngan-Woo, Wills, Bremner, Elder (capt), Mikarele-Tu'u.

Replacements: Ngata-Aerengamate, Itunu, Rule, Roos, Simon, Bayler, Maliepo, Hohepa.