Saracens' Richard Hill will win his 50th cap for England when takes his place at Twickenham for the clash against New Zealand on Saturday.

Woodward, for one, warns New Zealand to ignore his number seven at their peril.

"Don't underestimate Hill's defensive qualities," said Woodward. "He has been in outstanding form for Saracens so far this season. He is a world-class player and I am very excited to see him playing for England in the open side position."

Not as exciting as for Hill, however, for whom reaching his half century is a magical milestone.

"I'm really happy. As a kid I dreamed of playing for England but it's difficult to set your sights on reaching 50 caps," said Hill, who has scored 50 points for England in the shape of 10 tries.

"It has been a nervous wait since the summer being on 49. I have felt like a cricketer at the crease trying to prod a single. This match has seemed like a lifetime coming."

Hill bears the mark of past battles in the shape of a deep scar on his forehead and he is in little doubt Saturday will provide another skirmish to savour, even though New Zealand have left the majority of their tri-nations team at home.

Saracens' new coach Wayne Shelford, a former All Black captain, has been reinforcing that message for the past few weeks.

"In any All Blacks team there is always pride and passion. They never let themselves down. I'm expecting a massive battle up front," said Hill.

"Wayne is a very honest bloke and I'm impressed with the way he has taken Saracens on. He has told us that the heart and the ambition will be there in this All Blacks side, though he has not let me into any secrets.

"It doesn't matter to us that they are not all household names. You can only play what's put in front of you. Our preparations are no different."

Hill does concede England must improve on their Six Nations form of last season, when they lost to France, and on the fact they have not beaten New Zealand since 1993 if they are to be serious contenders at the World Cup in Australia next year.

"We've started to build a squad that's been together for a good while and we have a good understanding of what we are trying to achieve," he said. "Every day we spend on the training pitch is productive.

"But we know we must up our performance level if we want to compete with the southern hemisphere and we are looking for that big improvement on Saturday."