Danny Cipriani will be asked to fulfil a different role for England this weekend © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Danny Cipriani

Teams: England | New Zealand

Axed fly-half Danny Cipriani admits he would have dropped himself for England's final autumn appointment against New Zealand after last weekend's Twickenham debacle.

Cipriani, 21, has paid the price for his role in England's crushing 42-6 defeat to South Africa, dropping to the bench with Toby Flood taking over at fly-half. Cipriani struggled in the defeat to Australia and then endured a wretched afternoon against the Springboks, having a kick charged down for a try for the third time in six matches.

He was not surprised to be dropped but insisted his confidence had not been dashed by the experiences of the last fortnight. "If I was coach I would have made the same decision," said Cipriani. "Against South Africa I didn't make it easy for him to pick me again. It wasn't the greatest and it didn't go to plan. Mentally I am fine. I think I have learned a lot and this series has been a vital experience for me. I am not looking at it as a setback.

"I have a different job this weekend. I need to try and be inspiring to the rest of the team. We are playing the toughest team in the world and I could be on in the first minute. There is no way I could have a different mindset. My confidence won't dip at all. I know what I can do. I need to make sure when I come off the bench I am firing. I might have to make a vital decision so there was no way I could step off."

Cipriani is only seven matches into his comeback from a gruesome ankle break and believes he is still a couple of weeks short of returning to his best form. "It wasn't a case of too much, too soon because it is what I wanted but I am still getting back into it," he added. "I have shown glimpses of what I can do, and the breaks I can make, but I haven't shown the consistency I had wanted to."

His replacement Flood has won 21 caps for England but only three at fly-half. His last international start was against New Zealand on the summer tour. He had been in prime form for new club Leicester before the international window and Johnson said, "He deserves his go. Danny has got a big future but so does Toby. He is an international class fly-half."

The inclusion of Bath skipper Michael Lipman at open-side flanker hinted at Johnson's desire to bolster the leadership in his pack, but he is still 100% behind his captain Steve Borthwick.

"The criticism of Steve has been ridiculous and it is something people have got on the bandwagon with. His captaincy has been outstanding, on and off the field," Johnson added. Borthwick will pack down with London Irish line-out supremo Kennedy, who started against the Pacific Islanders but did not feature against Australia or South Africa.