Has Abbott missed the boat?

For a long time most people have advocated Abbott for the 12 shirt, but I am beginning to think he may have missed the boat. I strongly suspect that Barkley is inked in for the starting spot, based on previous selections. I also know that Abbott is not a favourite of the England management, even when he had a chance in the summer they did their best to ignore him. I personally am favouring Flood to play in a Catt type role, but I noticed that Allen was picked when the injuries mounted, even though Flood was available. Allen has been getting great reviews all season, and certainly has the class from the bits I saw last year, and crucially he is physically capable of handling internationals. Throw in the fact that Wilkinson and Farrell are favoured players should they ever be fit and in form, then I am left to think that Abbott will miss out.

My prediction for the New Zealand match is Hodgson and Barkley to start with Allen on the bench