All Blacks take on England at Twickenham: key players and match predictions – Phil Gifford

The evolution of the All Blacks has shifted gradually since Scott Robertson took over as coach. The tight five, the heart of any team, would now be fully settled if it weren’t for Ethan de Groot being dropped for “not meeting internal standards”, which you’d hope is a minor timing issue, not something more. serious.

Even without de Groot, the front row has a nice touch of Mt Rushmore-like rock solidity, supported by locks Scott Barrett, Tupou Vaa’i and Patrick Tuipulotu, who as a trio cover experience, determination and varied skill sets.

Where the selection changes get more interesting is in the backline as the All Blacks face the four games that will decide whether 2024 was a success or not.

TJ Perenara has exceeded many expectations this year, but he is not the future in midfield. The players who are Cortez Ratima and Cam RoigardIf their forwards give them a quick ball, they could be key men in the London game. As well as quick service to the backline, both can keep a defense on edge with confident and aggressive running.

Hopefully Twickenham will also be the start it was Will Jordan at quarterback. Jordan is so talented that he is a world-class wing, but he is an even better defender.

Besieging the defense in a hurry

The forecast for the day of the game in London is for a cloudy day with no rain and a pleasant high of 15C. All this will give the All Blacks a chance to move the ball wide with speeda way to shake up the quick defense that caused them trouble in July’s Tests here with England. There’s also the flank threat that Wallace Sititi presents with his run upfield. The world’s best-organised defenses start to look nervous when the tackle line doesn’t advance with military precision, but is instead transformed by the kind of furious power that Sititi provides.

Marcus Smith – enigma or energizer?

Former England first five Stuart Barnes is an avowed fan of Marcus Smith. Would pick Smith ‘ten times out of ten’ before his first five opponent Sunday morning, our time, Beauden Barrett. On the other hand, former All Blacks halfback Justin Marshall sees Smith as an enigma. The risk is, as Marshall pointed out, you never know what Marcus Smith you’re getting.

What is fascinating about Smith in the England team is that manager Steve Borthwick, a man for whom the phrase “conservative selector” could have been coined, seems to have settled on Smith as his number 10. On his day, Smith can be brilliant. But if he has one of his off days, he can be flustered and ineffective. Whichever Smith turns up at Twickenham could decide England’s fate.

Wrong flagpole to fly a flag to

As night follows day, there has been traditional media complaining in the UK about the haka. English Mohawk representative Joe Marler was supported in his call to ditch the haka by the usual suspects.

The Sunday TimesStephen Jones wrote that “it was heartening to have such company now for those of us who for decades have denounced the old rising Maori”.

Really Stephen? Delighted to join Marler in a campaign against the haka? Is Marler the man to change hearts and minds?

This is the same Marler who in 2016 was fined £20,000 and banned for two Tests for calling a Welsh opponent a “gypsy boy” in a Test. This is the same Marler who in 2023 was banned from his Harlequins team for two weeks after telling an opponent in an English club match that the Bristol player’s mother was a “damn whore”.

Marler himself revealed how his wife summed him up after that disappointment. She said, “You’re an idiot, aren’t you? You’re just a fool.”

When it comes to rating someone, I think I’ll take a wife’s point of view over a British press man.

Let’s hear it for the fans

In New Zealand, several rugby grounds are dear to my heart, from Rugby Park in Waihī to Eden Park. But in the rest of the world for me, Twickenham is number 1.

Why? To begin with, there is greatness around the earth. Pack 82,000 people into a purpose-built rugby stadium with a history dating back 117 years, and if you love the sport, how can you not be impressed?

I would also applaud the oft-maligned English rugby fans. Yes, the white of England is not a flattering color for a fan’s souvenir shirt stretched to breaking point over a larger, wobbly male body. Some of the supporters look and sound like the clichéd caricature of public school Hooray Henrys who first embraced the game of rugby.

But as loud as they are, I’ve never seen threatening behavior at Twickenham. Returning to central London by rail after the All Blacks had beaten England 18-12 in the opening game of the 1991 World Cup, I found myself the only Kiwi in a carriage full of England fans. It was England, so of course the train broke down. Instead of any sort of challenge, by the time we finally entered Waterloo, there were invitations to join the locals for a quick drink.