‘Dents in All Blacks’ armour’ found

England sense some vulnerabilities have been exposed in the All Blacks’ game as they get ready for their clash at Twickenham.

With the Rugby Championship wrapped up last Sunday with New Zealand’s remarkable 32-30 escape act against the Springboks in Pretoria, attention now switches to the November internationals in Europe where there are some heavyweight battles looming that will give some vital indicators for next year’s World Cup in Japan.

There’s still a ton of respect for the world champion All Blacks but The Times believes the armour of Steve Hansen’s side has been dented by a resurgent South African outfit who have laid a blueprint with their aggressive defence and direct attack.

‘‘It would be pushing it to say that New Zealand have lost their aura during the Rugby Championship, with one defeat to South Africa and one remarkable escape, but the Springboks have undoubtedly done the rest of the world a favour,’’ wrote John Westerby.

‘‘As England approach their first meeting with the All Blacks for more than four years, they have been shown that vulnerabilities exist for Eddie Jones’ team to exploit.’’

The Times noted that three years after the departure of Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith, the All Blacks were still looking for a settled midfield pairing.

And there was uncertainty about the New Zealand back-row combinations for November with flanker Sam Cane now out with a serious neck injury and Shannon Frizell yet to establish himself as the search for a long-term successor to Jerome Kaino at No 6 continues.

But there was still plenty to admire about the All Blacks and The Times felt they would provide a real test for England’s new Kiwi defence coach John Mitchell.

‘‘As their dramatic late comeback at Loftus Versfeld demonstrated, they can still attack with a speed and precision that is some way beyond the rest of the world. If Mitchell cannot drill England’s defenders into minimising the time available to New Zealand’s playmakers, their speed of handling will create opportunities out wide for Rieko Ioane, the most dangerous finisher in the game.’’