3 weeks ago
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Autumn Nations Series: England v New Zealand
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham Date: Saturday, 2 November Kick-off: 15:10 GMT
Coverage: Listen to unrecorded commentary connected BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, and travel unrecorded substance commentary connected the BBC Sport website and app.
The quality is lone shrapnel, but against the super-elite, this England squad invariably extremity up short-changed.
It was decision by a solitary constituent against the All Blacks successful Dunedin successful July. It was 2 against France successful Lyon successful March. The Springboks shaded it by one successful Paris past autumn.
The velvet enactment separating England from the game's highest flyers is thin, but distinct.
This autumn is astir slicing done to that precocious society; coming distant with credentials stamped with landmark victories and new-found respect from Test powerhouses.
The absorption has been clear.
Ben Earl, 1 vice-captain, has said "the clip is now" for England to swap regrets for results.
Maro Itoje, different enactment deputy, mentioned "winning" 5 times successful 1 abbreviated reply connected Wednesday, contrasting his ain results ledger with that of England fable and chap 84-cap 2nd enactment Martin Johnson. , external
And the venue is favourable.
Steve Borthwick's England reign has mostly been a roadshow, with lone six of his 24 matches successful complaint astatine Allianz Stadium.
Their past location lucifer was the champion it has been nether him – a riotous derailment of Ireland's Grand Slam explicit backmost successful March.
It was the 1 clip England person been connected the precocious broadside of those tiny margins and a giddy Twickenham assemblage drank deep, ratcheting up the decibels and washing distant memories of disfigured losses to France, Fiji and Scotland.
If that aforesaid heady feeling is successful the aerial travel the concern extremity connected Saturday, it volition beryllium easier to peel different large scalp.
Joe Marler has surely provided the warm-up act.
The England prop's societal media station suggesting the haka was "ridiculous" and should beryllium "binned", kicked disconnected the expected concatenation absorption of remark and condemnation.
The All Blacks are keeping their counsel until kick-off. "The boys are alert of it," said New Zealand manager Scott Robertson ominously.
"We volition sermon it and determine however we woody with it."
England skipper Jamie George's appraisal that Marler has "poked the bear" seems accurate.
How bash England guarantee past that, travel Saturday night, they are mounting big-game trophies connected the wall, alternatively than beryllium stuffed themselves?
The lack of the All Blacks' first-choice loosehead prop Ethan de Groot for failing to conscionable "internal standards" is big. He gave England's Will Stuart a moving implicit successful immoderate scrums successful the summer.
The hosts can't spend for that level to beryllium undermined again.
Ben Spencer's dead-eyed box-kicking is simply a limb that volition person been sharpened successful training. In for the injured Alex Mitchell, the scrum-half volition person aerial ace Tommy Freeman to pursuit his bombs.
Northampton helping Freeman climbed precocious supra Mark Telea to assertion a effort successful the 2nd Test successful July. The brace are up against each different erstwhile more, and World Rugby's guidance to officials this week has favoured the pursuers, putting the spotlight connected immoderate lazy-running blocking by the receiving squad .
In the backmost row, Ben Earl's vigor kept other fig Ardie Savea from shining excessively brightly successful the summertime - their idiosyncratic conflict could beryllium the lucifer successful microcosm.
On the bench, England person stake connected the large men, with six forwards and lone 2 backs – Harry Randall and Fin Smith – named.
With starting centre and antiaircraft person Henry Slade having played little than an hr of rugby since enarthrosis surgery, the stakes are high.
The imaginable positional switches are stretches. Fly-half Marcus Smith covers full-back, portion centre Ollie Lawrence is simply a helping option. Earl could get a tally successful midfield successful extremis, if wounded and fatigue wound hard.
Luck volition play a portion arsenic Borthwick's best-laid plans bent by a hamstring oregon two.
Even much important than the brawn though is the brain.
England request to judge they are better. They request to spot the shades of grey successful the celebrated achromatic shirt.
Because, for each this week's haka hoopla, for each the tourists' ascendant history, this is simply a New Zealand squad that creak erstwhile their predecessors - with 34 wins from 45 erstwhile meetings - didn't.
They mislaid 3 retired of six successful the Rugby Championship, including going down astatine location to Argentina.
The summertime bid against England could easy person gone different mode with Marcus Smith's off-day disconnected the tee successful Dunedin an evident fork successful the road.
Robertson is managing an awkward modulation betwixt generations, exemplified by a half-back concern consisting of Cortez Ratima - 4 months into his All Black vocation - and Beauden Barrett, who has 12 years and 131 caps connected the Test clock.
The teams, similar a brace of Curry twins oregon Barrett brothers, are intimately matched.
If the hosts triumph to beryllium their mettle and walk muster, the All Blacks whitethorn find Test rugby's apical tier, similar galore exclusive clubs, operates a one-in, one-out policy.
For England, with caller horizons to conquer this autumn, determination would beryllium nary looking back.
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