Best for Rugby
What’s needed to beat the All Blacks
Ignore the aura
England’s Lewis Moody gave up watching footage of the All Blacks as he found it only reinforced just how good they were.
Before playing New Zealand in November 2002, England’s team meeting underlined the message. “Clive Woodward and [defence coach] Phil Larder, wrote the respective teams up on a flip chart and went through them one by one, stating that they would not trade one England player for an All Black opponent,” said Moody.
“Phil monstered us on defence that week. And we loved it. You would never get away with it now. Health and safety would intervene. Two hours long and full pelt.
“Phil wanted us to smoke each other in a drill. I was up against Martin Johnson. Johnno took me to one side and told me he was coming at me full speed in an upright position and I was to level him. I did. We both went sprawling. It gave me one of the biggest shoulder stingers I have ever had. But it set the tone. We won 31-28.”
Be true to yourself
It has become one of the game’s most famous sledges. Australia had just snuffed out New Zealand’s World Cup hopes in 2003 and the devastated All Blacks were lying stricken on the turf in Sydney when the exultant Wallaby scrum-half George Gregan bellowed: “Four more years!”
The All Blacks had been favourites but Australia – coached by
Eddie Jones – had the will and the wit to get to them, winning 22-10.
“You have got to be yourself against New Zealand,” said Gregan, who won a record 139 caps between 1994 and 2007. “Copycat never works. You need to be comfortable in your own skin. There was a lot of pent-up stuff going into that semi-final but we had a plan and we stuck to it.
“That [the sledge] was just one of those heat-of-the-moment things. You have got to have the capacity to play beyond the 80 minutes to beat New Zealand. The All Blacks are the best finishers in the world, in the way they can counter-attack from anywhere but also in the manner in which they score at the death to win games. That doesn’t happen by luck. They give you nothing for free.”
Draw on the Lions factor
The British and Irish Lions had a record 11 Englishmen in their side when they beat the All Blacks 20-7 in the second Test in Wellington on the 1993 tour. Four months later, the All Blacks came to Twickenham.
“We packed the side with Lions players who knew from first-hand experience that the All Blacks were not infallible,” said Dick Best, assistant coach to the Lions and England coach from 1992 to 1994. “That belief counts for a lot as this generation who drew the Lions series there only last year will know. England must not be afraid to keep it tight and take them on in the forwards if they think that is the best way to win.
“Our game plan was utterly boring. It was kick and chase, hammer and harry. It was a horrible advert but people were doing cartwheels in the streets when we won. Eddie’s England have to stick to their guns.”
Play through the pain
Kyran Bracken was making his Test debut in 1993 when he had his ankle stamped on by New Zealand flanker Jamie Joseph but the Englishman had the last laugh. That 15-9 victory at Twickenham contributed to a playing record of two wins, one draw and two defeats against the All Blacks – significantly better than most have managed. “That stamp did do some damage but I was damned if I was coming off,” Bracken said. “You’ve got to put it all out there to defeat a New Zealand side, right from the start.
“The All Blacks had inflicted Scotland’s worst ever defeat [51-15] in 122 years the week before they came to Twickenham in ’93. It was a mammoth task for us, just as it is now with England. But that brings the best out of you. “We managed to hang on in there and got through on kicks. England won’t be able to rely on Owen Farrell’s boot. They will have to score some tries.”
Trust in your tactics
Sir Ian Mcgeechan’s sparring with the All Blacks dates back to the 1971 Lions tour when he played all four Tests in that winning series.
He was head coach when the Lions were denied a series win in 1993 by a contentious late penalty in the third Test. Scotland, too, had their moments, notably on their tour there in 1990 when they came within three points of beating the All Blacks in Auckland before going down 21-18.
“You can’t just sit back and expect to beat a New Zealand team,” said Mcgeechan. “You have to challenge them, put doubt in their mind. You must have clarity about what you are doing and a collective buy-in to the game plan.
“For that Scotland game in 1990 we set out to attack them at one of their strongest areas – the backrow. Your job as a coach is to give direction and confidence to the players. That is what Eddie will do.”
Self-belief is key
There are a handful of survivors in the current England squad who tasted victory over the All Blacks at
‘You have to put it all out there from the very start to beat them’
Twickenham in 2012 – the likes of Chris Ashton, Manu Tuilagi, Ben Youngs, Danny Care and Farrell. The message must surely be to draw upon those experiences and believe that Saturday’s match is not necessarily an exercise in damage limitation.
“People were saying it was a hopeless cause but it wasn’t,” said Andy Farrell, the defence coach for England that day. “There had been a real sense of calm and self-belief in camp. There was no need for great motivational speeches. It was down to the players. They were fearless.”