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All Blacks vs England June 12 Dunedin Preview
By Claire J
June 10 2004
A year ago, England set off on the first assault on the Southern hemisphere in 2003 – we were nervous and hopeful of good results. We went as Six Nations Champions won in glorious a style in Dublin, a few months previously. We weren’t convinced in the depth of our squad. Yet the team won through.
They proved the southern hemisphere press wrong and our faith in them right with some hard fought aggressive rugby. Oooh it was good to be English last summer! We’re now World Champions (sorry I just like writing those words!!), have lost our Six Nations crown and go into the Dunedin match with seven changes from the side that lost to France.

How much we would all want to see the same results again?!!

I don’t think we’ll see six man scrums holding eight man scrums on the line but I do think that the front five will be key in winning this game. England have to out grunt the AB’s – the front five has changed significantly with Johnson retired, Vickery injured and Kay seriously out of form and not even picked for the tour. Yet the replacements are the very evidence of the depth in English rugby – Shaw – Zurich Premiership player of the year, White in outstanding form in a rejuvenated Tigers pack and Grewcock, the player who stood down as Bath captain to concentrate on his game with impressive results. We have to out scrummage, ruck and maul the All Blacks if we are to win.

In the back row – Jones gets a chance to step up to the big time whilst the All Blacks have at last spotted that their erstwhile skipper Rueben Thorne had to be dropped with Gibbes coming in to replace him. McCaw is the real talent in the ABs back row but Hill and Dallaglio are seasoned campaigners who both need to rise to the occasion. Dallaglio needs to be at his imperious best.

The other key position will be at 10 – will we see Carlos Spencer the genius, or Carlos Spencer the clown? I hope the former but all too often in the really big matches he is noticeable by his absence. Mehtens hasn’t even made the bench with Nick Evans acting as cover. For England, a recovered Charlie Hodgson at last gets his chance on the big stage – I wish him well – he’s a talented footballer who has long stood in the shadow of Wilko –I hope he plays flat and in the faces of the ABs.

In the backs it’s going to be a real old tussle - Umaga has a point to prove as captain – his absence I believe had a significant impact in the World Cup. Nobody can deny that there is real pace in the All Blacks’ back line – it will be interesting to see how England cope with these speedsters. For England, the back line is remarkably experienced given the changes – who doesn’t remember Simpson-Daniel’s pass to Cohen for that glorious try in that wonderful Autumn 2002 series of tests? Glandular fever put back Sinbad’s progress in an England shirt – he gets a deserved chance on Saturday.

And good old Mike ‘Hair’ Catt is back – we were surprised before and Sir Clive got it right in the World Cup and you know I think he might just be right again this time!

Come on England’s finest!

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