England sense New Zealand losing 'invincibility aura'

WXV: New Zealand v England

Venue: Langley Event Centre, Canada Date: Sunday, 6 October Kick-off: 21:00 BST

Coverage: Live connected BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

An unshakeable content successful one's ain abilities.

Some teams person an aura of invincibility; they conscionable cognize they volition ne'er lose.

New Zealand person played England successful 5 Rugby World Cup finals and recorded 5 victories, gathering the content that no-one is amended than them.

But the tide is starting to turn. Two defeats successful their past 2 games against the Red Roses, who are ranked the world's fig 1 side, is acold from invincible.

The Black Ferns besides suffered a daze nonaccomplishment to Ireland successful their opening crippled of WXV1, portion England cruised to triumph implicit the United States successful Canada.

On Sunday the 2 sides conscionable successful Vancouver successful the 2nd circular of WXV, lone 3 weeks aft their past gathering astatine Twickenham's Allianz Stadium.

For England, earlier adjacent year's location World Cup, Sunday represents the cleanable accidental to harm the Black Ferns belief.

England skipper Marlie Packer has suffered back-to-back World Cup last defeats by New Zealand, the past coming successful dramatic manner astatine Eden Park successful 2022.

Some revenge was dealt past twelvemonth erstwhile the Red Roses prevailed successful Auckland to triumph last year's WXV tournament, but the Black Ferns were missing cardinal unit due to the fact that of injury.

John Mitchell's broadside past ruthlessly blew distant the satellite champions successful the archetypal fractional astatine the Allianz past month, strengthening England's lawsuit arsenic favourites for the World Cup.

With the 2 sides playing each different much regularly betwixt World Cups due to the fact that of the instauration of WXV, Packer believes the mentality erstwhile facing New Zealand is changing.

"For myself and the remainder of the radical determination is not an aura astir them that they are invincible," Packer said. "We arsenic a guardant portion are arsenic bully arsenic them and amended than them.

"Our mindset is changing. It is astir a mindset wrong a squad and a player. We person to flick that power and person the thought that we are amended than them 1-23 successful Vancouver."

Between the past 2 World Cup finals the Red Roses lone came up against New Zealand twice, successful back-to-back location fixtures successful 2021, winning both.

The gathering successful Vancouver marks their 3rd crippled against the satellite champions successful little than a year, leaving little secrets earlier the planetary showpiece.

"I person played New Zealand rather a fewer times successful my vocation and they look to person an aura astir that they don't lose, erstwhile they driblet the shot it goes backwards, everything seems to beryllium connected their broadside connected a matchday," Packer, 35, added.

"The much regular we get to play them, it is not that they win, we win.

"We tin get a bully consciousness of however to bushed them oregon however we privation to play against them, arsenic we are not seeing their rugby from a fewer years ago."

This is not the archetypal clip that New Zealand's aura of invincibility has started to fade.

Heading into their location World Cup successful 2022 they were defeated 4 times successful a enactment – doubly by England and doubly by France.

What followed was a 16-match winning tally and a location World Cup triumph successful beforehand of a past record-breaking assemblage for a women’s fixture of 42,579.

Part of a large plan? Trying combinations, investigating extent and experiencing decision whitethorn person helped successful drafting up the required blueprint to clasp the biggest prize.

But the stunning nonaccomplishment to sixth-ranked Ireland, who England thrashed 88-10 during this year's Six Nations, volition not person been successful the plan, meaning decision connected Sunday would beryllium a 3rd consecutive defeat.

"We cognize that the Black Ferns volition ever travel backmost stronger from disappointment, past tells america that," England forwards manager Louis Deacon said.

"We are expecting a truly pugnacious game."

Mitchell's broadside person been doing plentifulness of investigating of combinations too, with half-backs Lucy Packer and Zoe Harrison starting successful the large triumph implicit the USA and Natasha Hunt and Holly Aitchison selected this week.

Scrum-half Hunt, who lined up alongside Aitchison against the Black Ferns past clip out, takes a akin presumption to Deacon.

"New Zealand person ever been precise bully astatine throwing the shot astir but I deliberation there's a small spot of a information astir a New Zealand squad that's a small spot wounded.

"There is that 'no fear' constituent to it and they've astir apt conscionable been fixed licence to play.

"Especially successful that 9 and 10 jersey you request to premix it up and bash thing different, due to the fact that whatever's happened hasn't worked."

Lack of a New Zealand effect connected Sunday could person long-felt implications, portion an England triumph would agelong their winning tally to 19, arsenic they people their ain unshakeable belief.

England: Kildunne; Dow, Rowland, Heard, Breach; Aitchison, Hunt; Botterman, Cokayne, Muir, Aldcroft, Ward, Talling, M Packer, Matthews

Replacements: Atkin-Davies, Carson, Bern, Galligan, Feaunati, L Packer, Harrison, Scarratt

New Zealand: Holmes; Leti-I'iga, Brunt, Demant (co-captain), Vahaakolo; King, Joseph; Viliko, Ponsonby, Kalounivale, Bremner, Roos, Mikaele-Tu'u, Tukuafu (co-captain), Olsen-Baker

Replacements: Lolohea, Henwood, Rule, Vaipulu, Sae, Hohaia, Paul, Tui