England faces a defining test on Saturday when they take on New Zealand at Twickenham, seeking a tenth consecutive victory against a team that has historically dominated them. The All Blacks arrive vulnerable but dangerous, having demonstrated exactly the kind of resilience England will need to overcome. Damian McKenzie's recent performance against Scotland offers both inspiration and warning for Steve Borthwick's side.
The 30-year-old McKenzie entered the pitch at 17-17 against Scotland in the 44th minute, immediately knocked on a box kick, and cut his chin tackling Darcy Graham. "Blood started pouring out," McKenzie said. "We were most of the time on defence [...] I thought, 'here we go, it's going to be a long last 15 minutes'." Yet the 5ft 8in fly-half shrugged off Blair Kinghorn and George Turner to score the decisive try, then added a crucial penalty to secure victory.
Historical Dominance
England has won only eight times in 46 meetings with New Zealand across more than a century. At home, the record is even starker: just two wins since 2012, totaling two victories in their last 21 encounters. Last year alone, England lost all three matches against the All Blacks, including one at Twickenham. Three points or fewer decided the last four London tests between these rivals.
England's Strategy
Borthwick emphasized the challenge ahead after England's 38-18 victory over Fiji. "The players are going to have to suffer because that is what it takes against teams like this," the England head coach said. Captain Maro Itoje, leading England for the first time against New Zealand, told BBC's Rugby Union Weekly: "There are the weeks we and I live for. [...] It is a huge game, a huge occasion. It is a game we are very much looking forward to and I think we are ready to play them."
Match Details
The match kicks off at 3:10pm GMT at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium, with live coverage on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, and BBC Radio 5 Live. The winner will claim the Hillary Shield, which honours New Zealand explorer Sir Edmund Hillary.
England will not respond to the haka. The team previously advanced to the halfway line during last year's challenge but will instead let their rugby do the talking.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
