England to raise concerns over New Zealand's scrum ahead of second Test after Ethan de Groot was criticised by experts for his conduct in All Blacks' tense victory in Dunedin

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England will raise concerns about the legality of New Zealand's scrum with the referee for Saturday's second Test at Eden Park – after making a front-row change for the series finale.

Harlequins' rookie loosehead, Fin Baxter, has been picked for his first Test start, having made a fine impact as an early replacement last weekend, in the one-point defeat against the All Blacks in Dunedin. The 22-year-old has been promoted in place of his injured club-mate, Joe Marler, as the only change to the tourists' XV, as the latest example of Steve Borthwick's commitment to selection continuity.

In the aftermath of England's agonising loss at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Quins' scrum coach, Adam Jones – speaking to Mail Sport – cast doubt on how the home No 1, Ethan De Groot, was able to gain the upper hand on Will Stuart, England's tighthead. Several other respected scrummaging experts also suggested that the Kiwi loosehead was acting illegally in the way he kept shifting outwards and driving up into Stuart.

While remaining diplomatic, Borthwick confirmed that the subject would be on the agenda when he speaks to the man in charge on Saturday, Australian Nic Berry. 'We have our call with the referee, Nic Berry, this evening,' said the national coach.

'He was on touch as an AR (assistant referee) last week, so he would have had a very good view of all aspects of the game. We'll ask him the areas he has seen and what his view of the game this weekend will be. Clearly, the scrum will be one of those areas we will ask for his view on.

Several scrummaging experts have suggested Ethan De Groot was acting illegally during New Zealand's win over England 

Will Stuart (centre) was England's tighthead for the clash in Dunedin, which New Zealand won 16-5

'I feel myself and Joel Jutge (World Rugby referee's manager) have a great relationship and after each game, if there are some things we want to clarify, it is a normal process that we will ask for clarification. It means we can continue to have that clarity in the way we coach the players.

'Joel always gives us clarity. We will ask for Nic Berry's perspective and we will obviously put forward what we have seen, and have a conversation. That's the approach we always have with the officials.'

From his perspective at the heart of the front-row set-piece battle, England captain and hooker Jamie George added: 'What people have said (about De Groot's scrummaging) is out there and it's pretty clear to see. We've had good feedback from World Rugby around what their take on it was. We've got every confidence in Nic Berry making sure that he makes the right call this weekend.

'It is my responsibility, my job to manage how we scrum and manage the referee – the general philosophy. My job is to speak to Will Stuart and say, 'What are you thinking? Can I set you up differently, to make sure that we try and counter-act what they're doing?'.'

Meanwhile, Borthwick expressed his conviction that Baxter can cope with the magnitude of this latest landmark occasion in his burgeoning career. 'Fin did really well coming off the bench,' he said, in reference to the debutant's performance in Dunedin. 'I see him as a really composed, calm young man. He's a guy who seems to take things in his stride.'