England V New Zealand

England complete their three game Autumn International series against the might of the All Blacks this weekend. After an uninspiring defeat to Australia and an extremely disappointing win over Argentina in the previous fortnight, what chance, if any, do England have of a famous victory?

England have lost their last seven Tests against New Zealand, with their last victory coming in a 15-13 win in 2003. That day current head-coach Martin Johnson captained his world beaters to a phenomenal win, defending their line at one point with 13 men. Pundits are not so appreciative of Johnson now however, sending much criticism his way over the last two weeks along with his coaches John Wells and John Callard.

It should be noted that England have been extraordinarily unfortunate with injuries in the build up to this series, missing influential players such as Phil Vickery, Andrew Sheridan, Nick Easter, Riki Flutey and Mike Tindall.

Undoubtedly, these senior players would have made a difference to an England side seemingly bereft of confidence. However, this does not excuse the lack of imagination and basic mistakes made by the very talented players that have pulled on the white jersey this Autumn.

The players lack direction, appearing to be completely confused by the game plan. There is no tempo, no dynamism and no desire to keep the ball in hand. Even Jonny Wilkinson, England’s most coveted possession, has been reduced to aimlessly booting the ball long, giving the opposition’s back three perfect counter-attack ball.

We can only assume that this is being done under strict instructions from the management, but if this is the case, it is hard to accept.

With an exciting back-line consisting of the likes of Shane Geraghty, Matt Banahan, Ugo Monye and Mark Cueto, England should surely be looking to keep the ball alive. Instead they repeatedly and willingly handed the ball over to the opposition, a trait which was particularly noticeable in the first half of the Argentina game, one of the worst halves in English rugby history.

The Twickenham faithful booed the team off at half-time of the Argentina game and quite rightly so. Some seats cost £85 at the home of rugby and that performance didn’t merit £8.50.

It is a fact, however, that England came away with a win against a team ranked two places higher than them in the IRB rankings, and of course captain Steve Borthwick and Johnson were keen to highlight this fact. However, it is hard to find any other positives to come out of that game and they cannot hide from the daunting task that awaits them this weekend.

The All-Blacks are perhaps not the unbeatable force of years past, as South Africa ruthlessly demonstrated in the Tri-Nations. There are chinks in the armour which England must look to exploit, most notably their front five.

However, it is still a side packed with raw talent, with players such as Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith, and Mils Muliaina. If England kick poorly to these players they will be punished.

Frustrated with England’s inability to execute his game-plan, Johnson has picked a team to carry out a more basic but more physical game plan. He has replaced the skillful, diminutive Geraghty with the powerful presence of Ayoola Erinle at inside-centre, in an attempt to get England over the gain-line and create quicker ball for the exciting back-three at his disposal.

Also, to the relief of all England rugby fans, Simon Shaw returns to the side. Shaw has only played two competitive games since his heroic displays for the Lions in South Africa, but if he can reproduce that sort of form on Saturday, he will more than vindicate his selection.

At 36 he also brings a wealth of experience to a team that lacks leaders and his presence in the second row alongside Steve Borthwick should take a lot of pressure off his captain’s shoulders.

If England have any chance of beating the All-Blacks, they will have to play at pace, put the Kiwis under immense pressure in every facet of the game and take every chance that comes their way. Undoubtedly a packed Twickenham will create a hostile atmosphere and get right behind their team and England will have their opportunities.

However, this will be the ultimate test of their credentials and ability to execute under pressure.

Steve Borthwick claims that “this Saturday we will go out and play as hard as we possibly can.” Meanwhile, Johnson maintains that "the guys have had their frustrations but their mood is good and they want to go out and play."

If England can somehow manage to overturn their illustrious opponents at HQ this weekend they will reignite a country desperate for success and relieve the pressure on their World Cup winning coach. However, if anyone can pull England out of their current slump it is Martin Johnson.