The new, enlarged Twickenham has hosted many games but it is rare for the past, present and future to collide with such a significant crack of thunder. England’s last meeting with New Zealand before next year’s Rugby World Cup is also their fourth Test against the All Blacks in six months, making this a sequel, a prequel and a stand-alone measurement of manhood rolled into one. No wonder both teams are so visibly up for it.
Listening to Andy Farrell speak on the eve of the contest, after England had wrapped up their final preparations, did little to reduce the suspicion the occasion will more than live up to its billing. “I sense nothing but excitement,” murmured England’s backs coach, not remotely bothered by a damp weather forecast. “We’ve trained superbly for two weeks; the boys have done their work and their knowledge of the All Blacks is first class. I think that dispels a lot of fear going into big games like this.”
Win or lose, in other words, England are determined to go for it, rain or shine. There is no point waiting until next autumn to try to pierce the aura surrounding the world’s No1 side. Farrell, in particular, believes the visitors may soon be in for a rude awakening. “I don’t get any sense from our boys there’s an aura that can’t be broken down. Our players are trying to make their own aura. It’s still in the development stages but we’re definitely going to get there. I definitely get the feeling this team believe they can go out and perform against a world-class side they respect massively.”
And here is the big thing. Even if they fall short this weekend, England are adamant the gap will have closed by next autumn.
Injuries or not, they believe they are improving fast, their 3-0 series defeat to New Zealand in June notwithstanding. The scoreboard on Saturday, in that respect, will not tell the entire story.
England’s younger players, for instance, are being reared on the same consistent diet of junior success that their New Zealand counterparts take for granted.
Behind the scenes, furthermore, there is a huge amount happening. The most obvious is the upgraded training headquarters in Bagshot, Surrey, where a new performance centre and a new £1m-plus Desso pitch have been installed. Even some of the Rugby Football Union’s most senior mandarins are not yet allowed into the new building, the idea being for the players to take ownership of it and turn the whole place into their stockbroker-belt field of dreams.
Squad members have even committed to keeping it tidy themselves; Dave Attwood insists he and Davey Wilson have already been through 10 new broom handles. More pertinently, mindsets have changed; basics, detail and hard graft are non-negotiable. With a new team doctor, Nigel Jones, and fitness coach, Tom Tombleson, previously with the Waratahs, next summer’s altitude training trip to Denver, Colorado, is also designed to ensure they are as ready as they will ever be next September. “They’ll be in the best shape of their lives,” promises one squad insider.
Combined with Stuart Lancaster’s extensive work on building a strong, patriotic culture, the cumulative effect is increasingly impressive. Twickenham is even undergoing a £70m makeover, including new LED floodlights, which it is claimed will treble brightness levels in some areas of the pitch.
Yet it is players, not shadow-free lighting, who will ultimately be required to illuminate the stadium over the next year. To that end the next few weeks are set to see more squad rotation than usual.
George Ford, for example, will need to start at some stage. Sam Burgess, too, may well be invited into camp sooner rather than later. “He’s got some bloody good players to get past but even having someone with that mentality around at training will challenge some of our young players,” says a senior member of the squad’s management. “It’s not at all unrealistic to imagine him making the World Cup squad.”
Given England’s head of athletic performance, Matt Parker, helped Bradley Wiggins go from track cyclist to third in the 2009 Tour de France inside 12 months, there is no lack of specialist expertise when it comes to assisting swift conversions. Parker’s Olympic experience should also come in useful in coping with the massive expectation levels which will have built up by next autumn.
Another key member of England’s small army of back-up staff reckons peak physical fitness will be barely half the World Cup story: “There’s a massive mental component in rugby which is underestimated. It’s like a heavyweight boxing match. You can have two boxers of similar stature, power and conditioning. When they go into the ring it’s the one who’s got the mental edge who comes out on top. The important thing is to have a real clarity of purpose and to get the job done.”
Which leaves Lancaster and his coaches seeking a fistful of good results on the field to back up the visible progress elsewhere. The next four weekends will be huge for key units – the back row, the midfield, the wings – and several individuals, not least Kyle Eastmond who will be giving away nine inches and almost five stone to his opponent Sonny Bill Williams.
As far as Farrell is concerned such stats count for little. “It’s irrelevant, size. Mike Tyson wasn’t that big but he knocked a few people out. Kyle’s a smart footballer and behind that smartness he’s pretty tough as well. He’s a feisty five foot seven and he’s super excited about this game coming up.”
He might have been describing England as a whole; spirited underdogs with a puncher’s chance. New Zealand may have lost only two of their past 46 Tests but Farrell is adamant England’s all-important month could yet kick off spectacularly.
“They are going to ask questions but we have trained at a higher level to ensure we’re not just hanging on. We’ve also touched on a bit of history, as you’d expect before a Remembrance weekend. The players can’t wait.” Neither can the rest of us.
