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It is a little over 60 years now since England embarked on their first Antipodean adventure, a squad led by Mike Weston following previous French, Scottish and Irish tours to make a belated arrival in the Southern Hemisphere in 1963. A gruelling schedule had been organised by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in New Zealand and Australia. England returned after little more than a fortnight battered, bruised and beaten in five of their six matches.
England have seldom found Aotearoa to their liking on their returns to the Shaky Isles since. Their infrequent visits to New Zealand have been cloaked in a long white cloud of English defeats and off-field bother. It is 20 years since the All Blacks were last beaten by England on home soil, and it was a 30-year winning run for the hosts before that. That the teams contest a prize named after Sir Edmund Hillary feels appropriate.
“It doesn’t get more challenging than playing New Zealand at home, but it’s exactly where we want to be,” England head coach Steve Borthwick said ahead of the first of a two-Test series that begins in Dunedin on Saturday.
“We want to find out more about ourselves and test ourselves against one of the best teams in the world. Test rugby is a game of fine margins, so our mindset is going to be very important on Saturday. We’ll need to be mentally strong, play a tactically smart game and ensure we maintain our discipline.”
Nicknamed the Glasshouse, Forsyth Barr Stadium is an appropriate location to find out the growth potential of the green shoots evident at the end of England’s Six Nations campaign. There has been a quiet confidence within Borthwick’s squad since they first began preparing for their tour at the end of May, bolstered further by the dismissal of Japan on their Tokyo layover en route to New Zealand.
Their belief comes partly out of their own development and of an All Blacks side who begin as more of an unknown than in previous years. The first Test will be the first game in charge for Scott Robertson, who forged an all-conquering Crusaders side but is untried at this level. After the World Cup final defeat, all of Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Aaron Smith and Dane Coles called time on their Test careers, while Sam Cane will soon follow them into Test retirement. Injury and unavailability strike Richie Mo’unga and Will Jordan, among others, from Robertson’s squad.
A single scan of the side named by Robertson for the first Test is evidence enough of the talent that remains, though. The new boss can afford to leave one of his Barrett brothers on the bench and Caleb Clarke, a hat-trick scorer in the Super Rugby Pacific final, out entirely.
Middle brother Scott Barrett captains the All Blacks but the beating heart of the team remains the inextinguishable Ardie Savea. There are plenty in New Zealand who feel the beloved No 8 was unfortunate to be overlooked as skipper, instead retaining a role as Barrett’s deputy.
Robertson may opine that not having the responsibility allows Savea to focus on remaining at the top of his game. To underline how complete an operator the 30-year-old is, no player made more carries, beat more defenders or contested more rucks at last year’s World Cup.
There was a time where Savea could reasonably have been termed unique for what he offered as a No 8, but the game has evolved towards more players of his ilk. In Ben Earl, England have something resembling a facsimile at the base of their scrum. Like his direct opposite on Saturday, Earl has emerged at the position having begun his rugby career on the open side, and possesses similar gifts in terms of his explosiveness and breakdown scavenging.
The Saracens back row is dynamic enough to have made a cameo at centre during England’s win in Japan, a long-mooted idea at last seen on the Test stage. Counterpart Savea would probably slot neatly into midfield, too, having torn up the sevens circuit earlier in his career.
There is a mutual respect between the two kindred rugby sprits. “Ben’s nice, eh?,” Savea effused of Earl this week. “He’s got good feet at the line, he’s a strong ball carrier. It’s something that we need to identify and nullify.”
Earl has made no secret of his desire to be regarded as one of the best players in the world. It was a comment that pricked up the ears when first made during last year’s tournament in France but his efforts at Test level since that declaration of intent have moved Earl closer and closer to contention. Borthwick has recognised that he has a special talent to work with and made tweaks to make him more of a focal point, maximising his output and promoting him into England’s leadership core.
Outshining Savea, the reigning world player of the year and undisputed current champion of No 8 play, would elevate Earl into the conversation he wishes to enter. As Ric Flair said, to be the man you’ve got to beat the man – and England’s attempts to climb Everest again may rest on Earl doing so.
The first Test between New Zealand and England will kick off at 8.05am on Saturday. UK viewers can watch it live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action from 7.30am
