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World Cup winner ‘really optimistic’ about England upsetting All Blacks

Captain Jamie George of England speaks in the huddle after the team's 52-17 victory in the LipovitanD Challenge Cup match between Japan and England at National Stadium on June 22, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Koki Nagahama - RFU/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

England haven’t beaten the All Blacks in New Zealand since June 14, 2003, but Rugby World Cup winning centre Will Greenwood is “really optimistic” about that changing this weekend.

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It’s an exciting time for rugby in New Zealand with the national team set to get their new era under Scott Robertson underway on Saturday evening [local time] in Dunedin. This is the All Blacks’ first Test under the coach who seems to win wherever he goes.

But while the All Blacks wait patiently at the starting line of their season, England are already a fair way down the running track as they continue to show promise in the wake of their third-place finish at last year’s Rugby World Cup.

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England snuck by Italy and Wales with two unconvincing performances to open their Six Nations campaign in February, but they finished their tournament much-improved against Test heavyweights Ireland and France.

Steve Borthwick’s men recorded a stunning upset at Twickenham in March when they defeated an Ireland team formerly on track for the Grand Slam. The following week, England went down swinging against France in Lyon.

The English have only played one more Test between now and then, and that was an utterly relentless 52-17 win over Japan in Tokyo just over one week ago. They’ve shown enough this year to leave an England Rugby great feeling positive about their shot at history.

“Ever since that World Cup and the draw that we were given which allowed us to have a crack at the Springboks and go 15-6 up, and we had the game almost in the palm of our hands, and then come back off that [by] beating Ireland at home,” Greenwood said on SENZ Breakfast.

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“It’s not quite a brave new dawn yet. I don’t think we’re all singing up saying ‘we’ve cracked it, we’re on the way up’, this is now going to be an inexorable march towards glory in Australia in 2027.

“But I do feel now that, A, we are a difficult team to play against. I think they are pretty… battle-hardened… all that sort of uncomfortable customer and with it now have found a little bit of fluidity in the backline.

“[George] Furbank moving to 15 gives them that opt-out, that bail-out that they can go to width and space. He’s a real baller, he’s a proper player Furbank.

“It’ll be two tough Tests… if you’ve got a kid who can play at 15 then that opens the outshot for Smith to go crossfield. That then options up, puts some width on the pitch and suddenly Ollie Lawrence can attack an inside shoulder and go short.

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“They’ve found two or three different ways to attack… I’m really optimistic. I’m a tough judge but I gave them an eight-out-of-10 in Japan.”

England played five matches during the illustrious northern hemisphere Six Nations earlier this season and added another Test to their schedule against the Brave Blossoms. They’ve played six matches this year while the All Blacks haven’t played one.

Marcus Smith will lead the team around the park from flyhalf while veteran hooker Jamie George will captain the side once again. It’s a star-studded starting side which also includes the likes of Ben Earl, Maro Itoje, Alex Mitchell and Henry Slade.

“I think they come to New Zealand with a shot in the first Test,” Greenwood added.

“You guys are six-to-one odds so an extraordinary betting price. We’re going it on Sky and I’m really excited about being in studio and watching an unbelievable Test match.”

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Comments

2 Comments
J
Jmann 276 days ago

Best realistic chance they’ve ever had in NZ I’d say.

T
Toaster 276 days ago

Crikeys it’s non stop out of the England camp and media

I know how good England are but I forgot how satisfying it would be if we beat them

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Yes that’s what WR needs to look at. Football had the same problem with european powerhouses getting all the latin talent then you’re gaurenteed to get the odd late bloomer (21/22 etc, all the best footballers can play for the country much younger to get locked) star changing his allegiance.


They used youth rep selection for locking national elifibilty at one point etc. Then later only counted residency after the age of 18 (make clubs/nations like in this case wait even longer).


That’s what I’m talking about, not changing allegiance in rugby (were it can only be captured by the senior side), where it is still the senior side. Oh yeah, good point about CJ, so in most cases we probably want kids to be able to switch allegiance, were say someone like Lemoto could rep Tonga (if he wasn’t so good) but still play for Australia’s seniors, while in someone like Kite’s (the last aussie kid to go to France) case he’ll be French qualified via 5 years residency at the age of 21, so France to lock him up before Aussie even get a chance to select him. But if we use footballs regulations, who I’m suggesting WR need to get their a into g replicating, he would only start his 5 years once he turns 18 or whatever, meaning 23 yo is as soon as anyone can switch, and when if they’re good enough teams like NZ and Aus can select them (France don’t give a f, they select anybody just to lock them).

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But the idea is not without merit as a goal. The first step towards being able to implement a draft being be creating it’s source of draftees. Where would you have the players come from? NFL uses college, and players of an age around 22 are generally able to step straight into the NFL. Baseball uses School and kids (obviously nowhere near pro level being 3/4 years younger) are sent to minor league clubs for a few years, the equivalent of the Super Rugby academies. I don’t think the latter is possible legally, and probably the most unethical and pointless, so do we create a University scene that builds on and up from the School scene? There is a lot of merit in that and it would tie in much better with our future partners in Japan and America.


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