According to assistant coach Jason Ryan, the All Blacks anticipate that England will have learnt from their July series in New Zealand and will try to enforce those lessons in Sunday’s [NZT] Test at Twickenham.
Ryan anticipates that England will want to spread the ball wide in addition to playing their regular style of play now that they are back on home soil and in front of their supporters.
For this Test, they will undoubtedly have some new photos that we haven’t seen in the first two while we were in New Zealand.
“We’re constantly working to improve, and when we play England at home, they’re a different team.
“We know we’ve got to start the Test match with a lot of velocity and high impact to get into the game early.”
Maro Itoje’s dominance lock is a concern for the All Blacks, as he demonstrated in New Zealand that he was a competitive force throughout games and was hard-working on both sides of the ball.
“We’re making progress in providing our backline with high-quality balls so we can play football.
“We have carefully examined this Test, and we are aware that Ireland will be playing us six days later, so there isn’t much preparation. It’s about focussing on the here and now, getting ready with consideration for England, and not getting ahead of ourselves.”
Ryan stated that the 11-person advance party that was brought from Japan to England last Friday had practiced some of the game’s elements before departing.
“It gives us a head start.”
It was a demanding job to face France, England, and Ireland on back-to-back weekends. However, their two Test matches in the Rugby Championship in South Africa taught them a lot.
That was particularly related to the speed at which momentum may change and the need for accuracy because opponents could swiftly capitalise on mistakes to score.
“The game is a little different on this side of the globe. You embrace the spectators and the atmosphere when you play those few Test matches in Africa. We think our young boys will be more prepared because we introduced them to those tests.
“We’re anticipating it and are aware that we must perform at the highest level possible.
“We’ve got to start and finish Test matches well.”
Ryan, who was most recently exposed to England, stated that their two July Test matches taught them the value of breakdown.
The players and coaches collaborated for the first time throughout that series, with new demands to be met.
“Now that we’ve spent time together, there will be some unity. In a sense, we are more familiar with the set piece and ourselves.
“The English at home is a formidable challenge that we respect and are looking forward to.”
Ryan discussed Wallace Sititi’s rise as a loose forward.
“We noticed him halfway through Super Rugby Pacific. During an Under-20s campaign, he gained recognition for his ability to carry the ball and his true defensive strength.
He seems to carry himself so naturally, which is what has impressed us on the Test arena. He possesses several leadership traits. He puts in a lot of effort to improve his skills with Ardie [Savea] and the other loose forwards.
Getting his conditioning up to test level is the second aspect of it, which involves his body. With Wally, the possibilities are endless.
“We’ve been impressed with the character he is and he’s taken every opportunity he’s been given and that’s a credit to him.”
Ryan claimed that the selectors view Sititi as a No. 8 who can cover six, a position in which he excelled during his debut Test match.
Savea and Sititi get along well.
“It is wonderful that the two of them give our pack a great deal of ball carry strength. Additionally, he can get off the ground very quickly and is an explosive lineout jumper, like Sititi.
With Sititi accessible at the back and Savea leaping in the front of the lineouts, their combination brought value.
“They compete fiercely during training and put in a lot of effort together. Everyone is being honest thanks to this fantastic mix.
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