England v New Zealand - 2 November 2024

[Leonormous Boozer]

That's a gettable team for England I think. Still going for a small NZ win but I wouldn't back that NZ side in an arm wrestle if England can front up and be structured and disciplined for 80 mins.

 

[Welsh Exile]

Since 2012 (the last time England beat NZ at Twickenham) it really is very impressive how close they've kept all the games. Apart from a heavy loss in NZ in 2014 pretty much every other game has come down to a handful of points. NZ have won most of them in that time but with that win in 2012, the win at the WC in 2019 and the draw at Twickenham the next time you played them after the WC, it's a very impressive record. England always seem to match up very well against them. I don't get why Wales can match up well against SA but just **** the bed when it comes to NZ. I'd bite your hand off for one 2 point loss.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Since 2012 (the last time England beat NZ at Twickenham) it really is very impressive how close they've kept all the games. Apart from a heavy loss in NZ in 2014 pretty much every other game has come down to a handful of points. NZ have won most of them in that time but with that win in 2012, the win at the WC in 2019 and the draw at Twickenham the next time you played them after the WC, it's a very impressive record. England always seem to match up very well against them. I don't get why Wales can match up well against SA but just **** the bed when it comes to NZ. I'd bite your hand off for one 2 point loss.

Different styles and different weaknesses. A team like SA that are big and like to smash always seem to beat England. We just never match up well against them but then to be fair although we get close to NZ they always beat us really.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Different styles and different weaknesses. A team like SA that are big and like to smash always seem to beat England. We just never match up well against them but then to be fair although we get close to NZ they always beat us really.

We've won 4 of our last 9 against the Boks with the defeats including the 1 point loss in the 23 semi which was definitely one that got away. Decade from 06 is best glossed over though.

2019 semi has been our only win in 9 v ABs although we did get a streaky 25 all draw too. 6 straight defeats between the 2012 and 2019 games. Margins not been huge, but the coin's generally fallen NZ's way.

 

[Reiser99]

Every days a school day. I guess he's a freelance whore then?

Well, I've never seen him write a piece for the Welsh institution that is WOL so I stand by my English media comment.

He does have some standards you know.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

although we did get a streaky 25 all draw too.

Forgot about that, kicking it out at full time of that game was one of the softest things I've ever seen on a rugby pitch.

 

[Which Tyler]

if England can front up and be structured and disciplined for 80 mins.

 

[Which Tyler]

Different styles and different weaknesses. A team like SA that are big and like to smash always seem to beat England. We just never match up well against them but then to be fair although we get close to NZ they always beat us really.

We always try to beat South Africa at their own game. They're better at it than we are.
Against NZ, we try to beat them the same way South Africa do - we just tend to narrowly fail, because we're not as good at it.

 

[Which Tyler]

All Blacks match-day 23 (Test caps in brackets)

Only 2 vice captains? and neither of them on the bench?
Might as well give England the trophy already (I think there's a trophy for this one these days, shouldn't be, but pretty sure there is)

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Only 2 vice captains? and neither of them on the bench?
Might as well give England the trophy already (I think there's a trophy for this one these days, shouldn't be, but pretty sure there is)

Scotland change their captain so often I'm expecting them to pick 22 captains and a single vice captain soon.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Scotland change their captain so often I'm expecting them to pick 22 captains and a single vice captain soon.

I do wonder which South African will captain Scotland next.

 

[Rugbyfan564]

 

[AlRums]

Forgot about that, kicking it out at full time of that game was one of the softest things I've ever seen on a rugby pitch.

It may have been soft, but it guaranteed that they wouldn't lose.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Forgot about that, kicking it out at full time of that game was one of the softest things I've ever seen on a rugby pitch.

I'd forgotten about that too

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

What is it about loose heads?

 

[AlRums]

What is it about loose heads?

Loose 'in the' head

 

[OllyM97]

That's a gettable team for England I think. Still going for a small NZ win but I wouldn't back that NZ side in an arm wrestle if England can front up and be structured and disciplined for 80 mins.

Agree. I do think this NZ side have a tendency to lose their discipline and make basic errors if they go behind. I think we have the better back second and back row combinations and if we really front up there we can mess up the ball that New Zealand get. We need to attack their line-out. In a structured game I'd probably fancy us to win.

 

[Saintjay]

The All Blacks 10-15 still scare me half to death. Not sure if you'd swap for any of England's backs. Maybe a winger or two. Probably about it.

 

[IT157]

All Blacks match-day 23 (Test caps in brackets)

1. Tamaiti Williams (15)
2. Codie Taylor (93)
3. Tyrel Lomax (40)
4. Scott Barrett (76) (Captain)
5. Tupou Vaa'i (34)
6. Wallace Sititi (6)
7. Sam Cane (101)
8. Ardie Savea (90) (Vice-Captain)
9. Cortez Ratima (8)
10. Beauden Barrett (131)
11. Caleb Clarke (25)
12. Jordie Barrett (65) (Vice-Captain)
13. Rieko Ioane (77)
14. Mark Tele'a (16)
15. Will Jordan (37)

16. Asafo Aumua (16)
17. Ofa Tu'ungafasi (64)
18. Pasilio Tosi (4)
19. Patrick Tuipulotu (47)
20. Samipeni Finau (5)
21. Cam Roigard (6)
22. Anton Lienert-Brown (80)
23. Damian McKenzie (57)

Will Jordan only has 37 caps!

I also thought Jordie Barrett would have more.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

The big issue with England is how rarely we get individual sparks of brilliance, how poorly we support a player who shows it and how often we get torn apart by the same. It's like as a team we seem to just not fathom the idea of someone doing something off the cuff to change things up. I've seen players making breaks and nobody even thinking to get on their shoulder to support them, all they are doing is lining up for after the ruck that hasn't even happened.

It's strange because club level actually sees quite a few cases of players trying little moments of brilliance, but it's like that all gets hammered out of them the second they put on an England shirt.