England prop claims All Blacks are still the team to beat

SPOTLIGHT: England prop Ellis Genge claims that a win for England over New Zealand will still rank as a landmark achievement despite the All Blacks’ recent struggles.

The All Blacks, who were for a long time the standard-setters of the game lost three of their six Rugby Championship clashes after being pipped by South Africa in the 2023 World Cup Final.

England will open their November international campaign against the All Blacks at Twickenham – having beaten New Zealand a mere eight occasions in 45 previous meetings, dating back to 1905.

A victory this weekend would mark their first win over the Kiwis in 12 years, with Steve Borthwick’s side falling short on their two-match tour of New Zealand by 15-16 in Dunedin and 17-24 in Auckland back in July.

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“Obviously you want to test yourself against the best and New Zealand have always been one of the best teams in the world,” Genge told a pre-match press conference on Friday.

“I’m excited, man, I’ve been out of the mix for a while. Be nice to step back in and get my teeth sunk into it,” added the 29-year-old, who missed the recent tour with a calf injury.

“I think everyone thinks about New Zealand being that team that moves the ball so well, but at the end of the day they pride themselves on set-piece, scrum and maul. That’s a battle of attrition which I’m looking forward to.”

The build-up to this weekend’s Test has been dominated by comments from fellow England prop Joe Marler – who publicly called for New Zealand to bin their pre-game haka.

Marler who’s not playing in the upcoming Test has since apologised for his remarks which England captain and hooker Jamie George say may have ‘prodded the bear’.

If and how England will respond to the Maori war dance remains to be seen with Genge stating: “We’ll chat about it later on, we’ve got a meeting and we’ll see what the crack is.

“We’re not going to start climbing on each other’s shoulders, but we’ll sit there respectfully and watch it.

“I’ve only faced it once [in 2022]. It’s massive in the history of the game. Most people who aren’t necessarily too interested in rugby still know what the haka is.

“It’s bit of a challenge. I’m a big fan of it and I don’t think we should get rid of it. You should be able to respond but everyone is respectful when they do that.”