Forward battle will come to fore
Ian Foster against Eddie Jones is the headline coaching act at Twickenham. The battle within the All Blacks and England battle that will go a long way to determining this weekend’s outcome, though, pits the relatively new forwards coaching teams against each other.
For those involved, such as All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor, memories of their 2019 World Cup semifinal defeat are impossible to shake.
Emerging from an utterly dominant quarterfinal victory the previous week against Ireland, the All Blacks failed to replicate anywhere near the same level of physicality required to match England in their last meeting in Yokohama.
England’s pack came hard and fast from the outset, laying on a try after two minutes. That night the All Blacks never recovered from that opening onslaught.
“We just mentally got outplayed,” Taylor recalled as the All Blacks prepare for another confrontational test. “They came at us. We got punched in the face a couple of times and didn’t get out of it. We’re going to get much of the same this week and the boys are up for that challenge and what it’s going to bring.”
While 14 members of the All Blacks 2019 semifinal squad remain, this is far from the same team, or coaching unit.
The significant change for the All Blacks this year is welcoming forwards coach Jason Ryan into their ranks.
In the past four months Ryan has overhauled the All Blacks maul attack and defence, restored confidence in their lineout, while regularly reinforcing demanding standards around their collision, carry and breakdown work.
Behind the scenes, scrum coach Greg Feek has played a major role in helping develop breakthrough props Ethan de Groot, Tyrel Lomax and Fletcher Newell too.
Everything about England’s mentality and their desire to impose themselves on the opposition, before showing their finer touches, represents a litmus test for this All Blacks pack. De Groot, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Lomax and Dalton Papali’i are among the new breed England are yet to meet.
“You never like losing but this is a new team,” Taylor said. “There’s a few of us from 2019 but there’s a lot that weren’t involved. They would’ve witnessed a pretty tough loss as a nation but for us it’s about building on the progress we’ve made over the last few weeks. The great thing about our unit is everyone is willing to learn and take on those lessons each week. The man beside me [Ryan] has really added to the All Blacks.
“Jase always wants to be better and that’s contagious for us as a forward pack. He squeezes up when he needs to, and also tells us what we’re doing well which is awesome.
“We’ve got some young props that are playing pretty well so I’m excited to see them go up against those boys and really stamp their mark on this test match.”
England are not the same team from three years ago, either. Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje and Tom Curry are expected to be the only starting survivors from their forward pack in Japan this weekend, with influential lock/loose forward Courtney Lawes absent through injury.
England forwards coach Steve Borthwick has moved on — a common theme with Eddie Jones’ coaching staff — replaced by South African Matt Proudfoot and Richard Cockerill as a combination in the last two years.
Jones set the tone this week when he stated England will go after the All Blacks, claiming the tourists are there for the taking.
Ryan has a fair idea what’s coming at the All Blacks pack and how they intend to respond.
After the year they have endured, the All Blacks should have no trouble reaching the required mental space this time around.
“They’ll play to their strengths,” Ryan said. “They’ve got a lot of good ball carriers. Kyle
Sinkler and Ellis Genge are great athletes around the park. Maro Itoje is a real leader in their lineout so they’ve got strengths all over the park. They pride themselves on momentum. They’ve still got good innovation and continuity.”
Six wins in a row, while lacking conviction in many of those, has restored a sense of confidence within the All Blacks.
Yet for all their evident improvements, Taylor knows the importance of finishing this year with a statement of intent that cements their trajectory.
“We’ve been on a journey. We don’t have to answer any questions externally as a team,” Taylor said.
“New Zealand is a hugely proud country and we want to do them proud but when you’re in this circle that’s all that matters and you want to do the jersey justice.
“We’re making small steps but it doesn’t mean we’re anywhere we want to be or want to go.”
Codie Taylor