I thought England's second Test against New Zealand would be a closer match than the previous week's one-sided encounter, but the void between the two teams was enormous.  England face a tough challenge for the autumn internationals |
England may say there were missed opportunities, but you can't keep banging out that same line after every game. You know you are only going to get three or four opportunities in the entire match against the All Blacks. I said in my previous column I expected the All Blacks to win by between eight and 11 points. Well, it was by about that margin - in the first 10 minutes. England were exposed in every department. Well, almost every department. They at least showed they can compete in the line-out. I have said before that New Zealand's line-out is not fantastic, especially when you compare them to South Africa, who have an array of guys who can jump. New Zealand do not have the same options as the world champions. You know when Rodney So'oialo jumps at two he is going to get the ball, so it should be pretty simple to shut that down. It is hardly rocket science. I have to say that I feel sorry for some of the England players. Some have had success with Wasps, but most of the others have not had success with their club sides.  | If New Zealand, Australia and South Africa are in full flight for the autumn internationals in November, England will lose all three |
When you have been knocked out of the Heineken Cup and are out of the running in the Premiership, the end of the season starts stagnating.Then suddenly you have to motivate yourself for an England trip to New Zealand - probably the toughest place in the world to tour - against an All Blacks team desperate to draw blood after their acrimonious exit from the World Cup. They are down there for two weeks, with no warm-up matches to get into form. So from a club game, then a week's training, they are expected to get together with new players and face the All Blacks. Thanks very much. So where do England go from here? I know one thing, I do not envy Martin Johnson's task at all. | 606 |
I thought England would be good value for their two Tests, what with the new coaching set-up to impress. But no. Johnson will need to pull out the crystal ball and look beyond to see how he can rectify England's fortunes. If they continue playing in this manner, and if New Zealand, Australia and South Africa are in full flight for the autumn internationals in November, England will lose all three - and they could lose badly. But I do not foresee a particularly rosy future for the All Blacks either. Richie McCaw's ankle injury is a huge blow, especially as we do not have an abundance of back-rowers. I do not know who the best replacement is for the number seven shirt. Auckland's Daniel Braid has been mentioned, but he is untried and he is quite small for an open-side flanker.  Richie McCaw is expected to be missing for six weeks |
A year ago we could have had someone like Marty Holah, but he is now in Wales with the Ospreys. The "talent drain" to the northern hemisphere could really come back to haunt New Zealand. When you lose players of the calibre of Chris Jack, Luke McAlister, Aaron Mauger, Jerry Collins and Reuben Thorne, along with unforeseen injuries, you can see why I am worried. So fast-forward a few weeks to the Tri-Nations and I fear they will be second or, worse, third. The first priority is finding a successor for McCaw as captain and I do not see a lot of candidates. The two I can think of are Rodney So'oialo or Conrad Smith. But Smith did not feature in the second Test win over England, so you will need someone who can hold his position in the starting line-up. Zinzan Brooke was talking to BBC Sport's James Standley
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