England shouldn’t scare ABs
There should be little reason for Kieran Read and his All Blacks to suffer anxiety attacks following England’s win over South Africa in London yesterday.
Almost 10 hours after a second-string All Blacks side walloped Japan 69-31 in Tokyo, Read and a large contingent of top All Blacks, who had already been stationed in the English capital for several days, watched injuryravaged England squeak home with a controversial 12-11 win against the Springboks in London.
You couldn’t question England’s desire during the opening match of their ‘‘autumn series’’, but if they are to have any chance of gazumping the New Zealanders at HQ this weekend they will surely need to add energy and variety to their attack.
Co-captain Owen kicked four penalties Farrell for the victors, before surviving an almighty scare when Australian referee Angus Gardner, who consulted his TMO, deemed his high shot on Andre Esterhuizen in the final play of the game was not illegal.
No wonder first five-eighth Farrell let rip with a victory yell after the final whistle, his relief matched by his equally jubilant team-mates and their supporters in the 82,000-strong crowd; if that decision had gone against him it would have given Handre Pollard the chance to kick a matchwinning penalty.
All Blacks captain Read and his men will have looked on with a mixture of emotions, but fear was unlikely to be among them.
They might well be in foreign territory, but there is no chance of the All Blacks being ambushed at Twickenham this weekend.
While the hosts will spend the next few days allowing muscle therapists and physios to soothe the bruises and sprains they accumulated against the South Africans, the refreshed All Blacks’ tier-one players, who have not played since beating Australia 37-20 in Yokohama on October 28, will be feeling fresh and eager for battle.
After Gardner declared the game over and the Springboks players’ heads sagged with dismay, a thrilled England coach Eddie Jones couldn’t contain his excitement. When asked about the upcoming test against the All Blacks, Jones responded in the only way he could. Bring it on, was the message.
‘‘We can’t wait to get them,’’ Jones said.
Teams want to measure themselves against the best in the world, he said, and England will get their chance against World Rugby’s top-ranked team.
It will be the first time the two sides have met since 2014; for Jones, who replaced the sacked Stuart Lancaster after England’s disastrous World Cup campaign in 2015, it will be a chance to have a crack at the New Zealanders while in charge of England.
Unlike Jones, who was unable to select the likes of Billy and Mako Vunipola, Courtney Lawes, Joe Launchbury and Chris Rodber because of injuries and may also have to wait to see how other banged up forwards recover, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has a full set of veterans ready to go.
Hansen, his assistants and a handful of players from the Tokyo game, flew out from Japan yesterday. And unlike Jones, the All Blacks management will not have to fret about the possibility of fronting the judiciary with a key player.
If Farrell is cited for his tackle on Esterhuizen it could leave England without arguably their most influential player.
Jones told media he will deal with that issue if it arises.
‘‘You can get cited now for something you did at a party when you were 15,’’ Jones said. ‘‘I have no idea what can happen.’’