Assistant coach Ian Foster said today Parsons was an obvious choice to replace Harris as he was in London anyway and had had a recent game under his belt, but that he had earned his spot despite the fact he hadn't been included in the recent "apprentice" scheme of hookers which has included the likes of Harris, Liam Coltman, Rhys Marshall and the injured Motu Matu'u.
"He has played well for the Blues, he has done well for North Harbour, and we're looking forward to getting him in here," Foster said of Parsons.
"One reason why James wasn't brought in last year is that he was a bit small. But we've met with him this year and he set himself some goals about size and strength and he has ticked those goals off really well."
All Blacks braced for full-scale assault
Slade also played for the Barbarians in their 40-36 loss to the Wallabies, but unlike Parsons could get some game time at Twickenham - possibly from the bench where he can also cover fullback and wing.
"He's been with us quite a bit in the Rugby Championship anyway and he's played really well," Foster said. "He was unlucky to miss the squad, so he will certainly come into contention."
From the novelty of the new frontier in the States to the familiar sights of London and a test against an old foe they have played three times already this year, the All Blacks are looking forward to locking horns with an England team who haven't played a test since that June series in New Zealand.
"We feel we have tweaked and changed quite a bit since the the Rugby Championship," Foster said.
"We've got no doubt that we've been studied hard, they'll come up with a few things, that's the nature of the game, but we're just excited about it. It's good to be here.
"We've had a great week in Chicago, I think it's freshened us up a little bit. We're excited about the next three weeks and quite frankly there's no better way to start it than here at Twickenham, it's a great place to play. We know they'll be gunning for us, but equally so it's a big game for us."
