England coach Stuart Lancaster has named London Wasps prop Matt Mullan in his 23 man squad to face the rampant All Blacks this weekend at Twickenham. Mullan comes in to replace injured Alex Corbisero, and joins a team buoyed by their recent 31-12 demolition of Argentina last weekend.
It’s easy to say the All Blacks will be the favorites this weekend, and there are many in New Zealand who see this weekends game as a mere formality. But for one small, minor point. England can beat New Zealand. More to the point, they HAVE beaten New Zealand at Twickenham. Last year!
I said this about France last weekend; I’ll say it about England as well. ANY team that underestimates the calibre, strength and heart of the English Rugby team is going to get punished, and they are going to get punished hard.
France provided some great competition for the Men in Black. The All Blacks have had a heavy introduction to Europe, and in this second game of the test series I don’t think they’re going to get much more of a warm welcome. Twickenham fans are vocal, vibrant and will be in full voice for the Red Rose of England.
It has to be said though; the All Blacks are on form at the moment. Backing up from their battle with France, and with the continued development of players like Ben Smith, Aaron Cruden and the balance of experience in the likes of Andrew Hore, the All Blacks are looking more and more secure at the top of the rugby world rankings.
Julian Savea and Luke Romano look set to return to the squad as well, Steven Hansen saying “From a physical point of view I think we’re in great shape. Mentally I think we’re in great shape (as well), there is a massive desire within the group to strive to keep improving themselves.”
The English Players are hardly rookies either. The players will all be coming in with both domestic and international experience under their belts. The Aviva Premiership and Heineken Cup are in full swing. The All Blacks will be facing an English that team boasts a strong compliment of Saracens, Tigers, and Saints, with a good sprinkle of Wasps and Harlequins. This is a team of players that is match ready, practiced, and would certainly be hungry to claim the scalp of the world’s best. When questioned about his team and the build up to this weekend Lancaster commented “We’ve had a good start to the week and now it’s a case of tapering down the training and getting ourselves ready for the ultimate challenge. The Twickenham crowd has been great over the last two weeks and we know they will be just as vocal as they were against New Zealand last year.”
The game airs around 3am in New Zealand, and like many Kiwis (and at least one ex pat English person I know of) there will be many an eye glued to the set this weekend. The All Blacks team announcement should be out tomorrow, at this stage though it looks like the team will be largely similar to that which faced Les Bleus, although there may be some contention between Savea and recently returned Corey Jane. Either way, one thing is for sure, this battle will be one of the best games this season. I can’t wait!
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Main Photo Credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/t_abdelmoumen Tijani59, via Wikipedia, CC
