England vs New Zealand
The All Blacks are well oiled. They come into this game off the back of a fairly impressive result against Japan. They’re going to be humming, whereas, with England, it’s quite the opposite.
This is the start of our season. We’ve had a week together as a team in Italy, and the boys will need to be at 90 -100% from the off – we don’t want to be hitting our stride against Japan in the fourth game. The challenge will be matching New Zealand's level of intensity from minute one.
With England, when I look at the athletes and the skill set that they've got, they're certainly good enough to win that game. The challenge is to hit 90 to 100 from the first minute and this game will be a great barometer of where we are as a team and a good opportunity to demonstrate that we’ve learned lessons from the summer just gone.
What are the vibes like in the England camp?
I’ve been spending time with the boys, and I really enjoyed it. What a privilege, right?
I sit there going, how the hell did I do that stuff because these boys are serious athletes. They're all finely tuned beasts now, whereas I probably gave the common man hope that he could play international sport.
The boys were calm and relaxed, but when they went to work, there was a clear understanding of what was expected. I remember those environments being so intense, but I think Steve's probably learned from experience as a player and as a coach that you can't be on the whole time.
Everything is looking good. The drills look good. The session wasn't perfect, but you don’t want perfection, especially on a Tuesday. You want perfection on Saturday.
But the understanding was there, the kind of learnings. What they're trying to implement against New Zealand this week was clear to see. I obviously can't give away any trade secrets, but it was great.
How should England approach the match against New Zealand and the Autumn fixtures?
I don’t think England should be thinking about future games, South Africa and whatnot. Play a full hand against New Zealand. Every team has a way of playing, and we need to build an understanding, a philosophy, whatever you want to call it.
The approach for New Zealand will be one set of rules with a foundation of an understanding, and then for Australia, they'll change a few things to expose Australia. With South Africa, it will be the same. You’ve got to be creative in your tactical approach on a game-to-game basis.
It's all about looking at your opposition, understanding where your strengths are and where their weaknesses are. You can hold anything back because winning breeds confidence, generates momentum, and that’s what you want.
On The Autumn internationals
The Six Nations is great, but when the Southern Hemisphere comes to town, that adds something a bit special. At this time of year, days are getting shorter, there’s a little
bit of moisture on the grass, it’s fantastic.
What does a successful autumn look like for England?
We all want to win. It doesn’t matter how we do it, it’s just about doing it. It’s also a great opportunity for some of the younger guys, or less experienced guys to come in and build confidence at this level. It’s an opportunity for the likes of Marcus Smith, Tommy Freeman and Feyi-Waboso to establish themselves.
I see it as a real changing of guard. There are a lot of players here who could form the nucleus of this England team for the next five to eight years, a couple of World Cup cycles. It's a real opportunity for them.
On Joe Marler Haka Comments
Context is really important here because I don't think Joe Marler is saying, let’s get rid of the haka, because the haka is an iconic part of the theatre of rugby. I think it’s really important, it gives the sport an identity.
If you ask me, it’s just Joe being Joe. He’s a wind-up merchant and I think he knows he’ll get a reaction to what he’s said. I’m sure that the New Zealand camp will be using this as fuel to add to the fire before the match on Saturday.
Even if you’re not a rugby fan, you know the haka. American’s who might not have a club about the game know about the haka – it adds tremendous value to our game.
Culturally, it’s important for New Zealand as well. They're a small country that punch well above they’re weight and are very proud of their identity and culture.
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