England ready to risk an All Black Haka backlash
Jones and his players ponder a repeat of their legendary Yokohama V formation
ENGLAND could unleash another defiant response to the Haka tomorrow, as a means of igniting home support before they bid to beat the All Blacks again.
Eddie Jones’s team are aiming for a repeat of their victory over New Zealand in the semi-final of the last World Cup. On that occasion in Yokohama, England lined up in a V formation to stare down the Haka and followed that with a thunderous start to the match, which they went on to win 19-7.
Asked if the bold approach had a positive psychological impact on his team before the clash, and whether a similar ploy was in prospect this weekend, head coach Jones said: ‘It had a massive effect on the fans, that’s what it had an effect on.
‘On Saturday, we’ve got a responsibility to light the crowd up, whether it’s during the Haka or post the Haka. They can be our 24th player. The noise the crowd made last Saturday in the Japan game was fantastic. The players felt the warmth and pride that the crowd brought.’
England prop Ellis Genge was watching from the stand in Yokohama and was unaware of exactly what the players on duty that night had prepared. It was not until much later that he recognised its impact, but he did relish the look on Owen Farrell’s face at the tip of the V.
‘ I love that picture of Faz standing in the middle with the smirk on his face,’ said the Bristol loosehead ahead of his first encounter with the All Blacks. ‘I hope he’s got that on his wall. ‘I wasn’t aware of the spectacle but looking back, it was mint. The boys not involved were at a gym session, so we missed them practising it. I wasn’t clued up on it. I knew it was going to happen but I didn’t know what it would look like. I didn’t necessarily feel the impact of it until after the game and probably post-World Cup, hearing other fans speak about doing that and how powerful it was.’ Whatever England have planned tomorrow, their main statements of defiance will come when the game is under way.
They will strive to target New Zealand’s strengths after Jones named both Sam Simmonds and Billy Vunipola in a revamped and explosive back row — as forecast by Sportsmail on Wednesday. The selection means the hosts will have just two primary lineout jumpers and puts extra onus on Maro Itoje on his return to the second row.
But his head coach believes he is ready to prove his worth yet again, saying: ‘ If you’re in the New Zealand team, one of the guys you’d be worried about is Maro because of the influence he has and the energy he brings.
‘He’s so excited about playing against Retallick and Whitelock, who are considered two of the greats of the game.
‘He’s got that personal challenge, that responsibility, because there’s no one better in world rugby than him. He wants that mantle of being the best player in the world and then he’s got to handle the subtlety and complexity of winning the lineouts. It’s a big task for him.’
The whole home team face a big task, including their reinstated outside centre, who made a name for himself a decade ago when England won this fixture 38-21.
‘We had a chat the other day about Manu Tuilagi in 2012,’ said Jones. ‘Will Joseph was 12 years old sitting with shorts on in Row Z watching Manu play and it had an effect on him. He recalled the story.’
Tuilagi unsettled the All Blacks back then and having restored him to the starting midfield, Jones is confident he can do it again.
‘When you’ve got a reputation like Manu’s, you get a bit of a headstart because people are worried about you,’ he said.
‘They know what you’re capable of. Manu is losing some of his physical power, as you do when you get older, so you have to develop the rest of your game. We’re seeing that redevelopment in Manu and I reckon in the next 11 months, you’ll see a different, better version of him.’
Genge recalls that 2012 fixture, but not for entirely positive reasons. ‘I was in Torquay at a caravan site, watching it with my dad,’ he said. ‘ I had a tooth infection — it was quite bad so I was in a foul mood.
‘Manu ran amok, didn’t he? I remember it, but it didn’t put me in a better mood!’