England have a mouth-watering collision to look forward to as they take on New Zealand in the latest instalment of the autumn series, and there will be a renewed sense of confidence in the camp.
After a 52-13 drubbing of Japan at Twickenham in which Eddie Jones‘ troops ran in seven tries, it was the perfect riposte after their noses were bloodied in a shock defeat the previous weekend to Argentina.
The All Blacks, meanwhile, were far from convincing as they had to mount a comeback to claim a 31-23 win over Scotland at Murrayfield, and the Scots came mightily close to claiming their first victory over New Zealand since 1905.
But with the Six Nations on the horizon, and the World Cup taking place next year, England will want to lay down a marker and Marcus Smith has already fired a parting shot, suggesting the All Blacks are there for the taking.
He said: “We’ve got to focus on us, sharpen our skills, sharpen our attack. It’s brilliant to score 50 points, but we left 20 or so out there.
“If we get our game on the park, light up the crowd, get them right behind us singing Sweet Low, we believe we can win.
“If Twickenham is bouncing, right behind us, we know everything is possible and that we’re a tough team to beat.”
The next fortnight could be a defining period for England as they face New Zealand before locking horns with South Africa. As far as the All Blacks are concerned, England will be looking to rekindle memories of their semi-final win over New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final. There will be plenty of pre-match odds floating about and England is currently priced at 11/10 to beat New Zealand by LeoVegas, renowned sportsbook operator that also features some of the most popular slots online for players to try out.
Meanwhile, Jones, who recently equalled Clive Woodward’s tally of wins (59) as England coach, insists the 2019 win over New Zealand proves that his side can defy logic and the odds to take the spoils once again.
He said: “England have won just 22 per cent of the Tests against New Zealand so there is a narrative about the game that says England cannot beat them.
“But the 2019 World Cup semi-final showed that, if you have the right attitude and the right game plan, history can be broken. We want to make history again.
“We have enough leadership and quality in our group not to get false confidence but why shouldn’t we believe we can beat them?”
Of course, the defeat to Argentina will have left England reeling as they are the kind of side that England would normally have no trouble in swatting aside. It will be fascinating to see how England tackles things tactically speaking against New Zealand. But let’s remember that this isn’t the New Zealand side of old, so England shouldn’t be daunted about what they will come up against at Twickenham.
