Zinzan: I can’t call All Blacks v England

NEW Zealand great Zinzan Brooke admits he ‘fears’ a World Cup semi-final showdown with England.

The former All Blacks No.8 says a World Cup clash of the northern and southern hemisphere giants would be too tough to call.

Brooke, capped 58 times, feels Steve Hansen’s present men in black are not of the same quality of their World Cup winners of four or eight years ago

“I’d like to say ‘yes, New Zealand are going to win but I don’t confidently see it that way,” he told TRP. “Top sport is about close margins and I can’t see much between them.

“You need to look at the New Zealand teams from previous World Cups, and compare the one to 15. I look at the midfield, loose forwards, tight five and Dan Carter, and clearly those teams were phenomenal.

“I don’t see that in this All Blacks side. There have been a few little wobbles.”

Brooke also says England have a few problems to iron out. They include managing Billy Vunipola’s ankle problem.

He insisted: “Billy didn’t fire any shots in the last game. He was clearly not 100 per cent against Argentina.

“Eddie Jones is a little undecided about Owen Farrell and George Ford situation. But there is a lot of potency in the back.”

■ Eddie Jones has turned to Australian rugby legend Ricky Stuart to help England prepare for a likely quarter-final against the country of his birth.

Stuart, 52, coach of NRL club Canberra Raiders, played three non-Test matches for the Wallabies before switching codes Down Under and becoming a League great.

“It is something that’s been in the planning for a couple of months,” said Stuart. “I know Eddie, he is a world class operator.”

Stuart will join camp next week to “exchange ideas” ahead of England’s biggest match since the Aussies knocked them out of the last World Cup.

It’s not the first time Jones has played his NRL card ahead of a clash with the Wallabies, whom he has beaten in all six meetings since becoming England boss.

Three years ago he invited Andrew Johns to work with his team before they completed a 3-0 series whitewash in Sydney.