We can beat All Blacks – Morgan

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England number eight Ben Morgan took a somewhat bullish approach to his side's seemingly daunting tour of New Zealand this June.

England number eight Ben Morgan took a somewhat bullish approach to his side's seemingly daunting tour of New Zealand this June.

Morgan started off the Six Nations playing second fiddle to barnstorming Saracen Billy Vunipola, but when the youngster picked up a Championship-ending injury against Ireland, he was handed a fine opportunity to impress.

It was one the Gloucester eight grabbed with both sizeable hands, backing up his solid displays from the bench in the early Rounds with a string of excellent performances.

But despite his and England's rich vein of form, they face a side who have lost just three of their last 68 matches on home turf since Martin Johnson led the team that was to win the 2003 World Cup to a famous 15-13 Wellington win eleven years ago.

“It's not out of reach. We're building really well and performances are getting stronger,” Morgan told The Rugby Paper.

“It's a massive challenge but it's something we're definitely looking forward to. We feel the way we're progressing it will be a good series.”

Of the Six Nations, the 25-year-old admitted that, for all England's promise, the overriding feeling was disappointment.

“It was disappointing at the end, but we've got to be pleased with how we played throughout the tournament,” added Morgan.

“France away was the match that let us down, but if you look at how we picked ourselves up, we showed character.

“We played some really good rugby, won some tight Test matches and put some good scores out there, too. We couldn't have done more and although we came up short again, it gives you that extra bite for next time around.

“We won the Triple Crown, which we hadn't done before, so that was a very positive thing for us and we're a team that wants to win things.

“We're improving in lots of areas – metres gained, clean breaks, tries scored, all those things – so although it was bitterly disappointing not to get top spot, it feels like we're going places heading into the New Zealand Tests.”