Steve Borthwick’s England ready for a ‘test against the best’ in New Zealand | England rugby union team
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STyve Borthwick insists the days of England rugby teams being cannon fodder in New Zealand are over as his side look ahead to a two-Test series against the All Blacks. The head coach says he has played teams that were mentally beaten before they got off the plane, but he believes the current team is a different breed.
While England have not toured New Zealand in a decade and failed to win on Kiwi soil since 2003, Borthwick and his players flew south determined to show that the balance of global rugby power is shifting. They are also motivated by the opportunity to become the first English team to beat the All Blacks in a multi-Test series.
Borthwick is well aware that Ireland beat the All Blacks 2-1 on their 2022 tour and hopes his own side will also be highly competitive. “One of the things I do as a coach is talk about the experience of the past,” he said as his side packed their bags after Saturday’s 52-17 win over Japan in Tokyo. “I want us to be different. I have been in squads that have boarded the plane with no real faith. There were some series where this happened.
“I want this group of players to be excited about what we’re trying to do. Let’s go up against the best teams and see what we can do and where we can get better. We have an incredible amount of respect for New Zealand and its players, but there are also a lot of players who want to test themselves against the best and see how good they are.”
Confidence levels in Borthwick’s reformed squad have been rising ever since beat Ireland at Twickenham and came very close to France in Lyon in March and the past is increasingly another country for a number of their younger players.
“When I spoke to the players in the dressing room after the France game in the Six Nations, I used the analogy of when [engineers] they were trying to break the sound barrier,” Borthwick said. “You reach limits, but then you have to improve and build it stronger. We know we still have a lot of development to do, but I don’t want players to put any limitations on themselves before we get into this environment. Let’s go and find out what we need to improve. Let’s go and find out what works. Let’s go and accept the challenge.
“What I feel from a coaching point of view is that the younger players are much more about themselves, this team and what we can do and less about the opposition. I think it’s a change with the times. There is always a balance because you have to respect every team we play against. But what I keep seeing from these players is that they love a challenge. I don’t think they set limits. They just want to see how good they can be.”
There are certainly no signs of an inferiority complex among some of England’s emerging talents, with wing Immanuel Fay-Waboso and No.8 Ben Earl eager to face the All Blacks.
Exeter’s Feyi-Waboso, who is also studying medicine and has a type 1 diabetes assignment due this week, said: “I feel like I want to see how I do with New Zealand. The weaknesses in my game will definitely show and hopefully I can play to my strengths.
“The All Blacks are the All Blacks, but they’re people too. As a fan you put them on a pedestal, but now as a rugby player you have to keep them grounded and yourself. All are the same; just good rugby players. When you talk to players who have played against them, they don’t put them on a pedestal, you just follow their lead.”
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Earle, who spent time at inside center in the second half against Japan, is similarly motivated to impress in New Zealand. “As a player, it’s something you have to do. As an avid cricket fan, what do they say? “Runs to the side. Ashes always count double.’ That’s a nice slogan to take with us into the woods.”
England, who would be keen to plant a few seeds of doubt in Kiwi minds, have enjoyed a few good days against New Zealand in the relatively recent past. Seven of the team share in that of England Victory in the semi-final of the Rugby World Cup over the same opponents in 2019 while the All Blacks were held a tie at Twickenham in 2022 and were denied victory in the British & Irish Lions series in 2017 when Maro Itoje was a key figure. “Everyone in our squad who has had the experience of playing against them has quite a few positive memories and it’s definitely something we can feed off of,” said Itoje’s Saracens team-mate Earl.
“Our coaching staff is so good that there will be a plan. New Zealand are an incredible team, but we feel like we’re a team that wants to be in that conversation. All the signs in this team are really positive and we’re getting better every week.”
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