IN CASE YOU WERE ASLEEP cont...

they don’t have at least one loose forward who is just as good as him.

But maybe they will have the last laugh in November if Shields plays for England and helps them beat the All Blacks.

Wouldn’t that create just a little intrigue..?

And by intrigue, what we really mean is that the English media would suddenly hail Shields the greatest loose forward New Zealand had ever produced.

And then they would say that England were suddenly on track to win the World Cup.

This is how it is with the English media. There is never any middle ground.

When England beat the All Blacks in 2012, the English immediately said they had seen the likely make up of the 2015 final.

They were sure that New Zealand and England were destined to meet in the final because of that game in 2012.

And they were half right. New Zealand did make the final.

England, however, never made it out of their pool.

Then Eddie Jones arrived in 2016 and it was all Eddie this, Eddie that and he could do no wrong.

It was much the same in 2017. Eddie we love you. You are the best.

Then in 2018, England, having lost only once previously under Eddie, suffered three defeats in a row and it was Eddie we hate you.

Eddie you should be sacked. Eddie isn’t even bloody English. He’s Australian.

One win against the All Blacks and it will be Eddie we would like to give you a Knighthood.

Eddie has fixed everything. The All Blacks have lost their aura. The All Blacks are in free fall. They have peaked too soon.

The All Blacks were mad to never pick Shields. How did they miss him? Eddie is a genius and Steve Hansen is an idiot.