Scott Robertson reveals All Blacks’ ploy to be ‘fresh’ for England and insight into selections
Scott Robertson says the All Blacks have plans in place to give themselves the best opportunity against England.
The All Blacks have plans in place to give themselves the best opportunity to knock over England at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on November 2.
It will be the third meeting between New Zealand and England this year after Scott Robertson’s men defeated Steve Borthwick’s team in back-to-back Tests in Aotearoa in July.
The All Blacks did not have it easy as they claimed a 16-15 victory in Test I and edged England 24-17 in the second.
Knowing the task at hand, Robertson is keen to best position his squad for what lies ahead and has a ploy to make sure that they can make it three wins from three over the Red Rose.
The early All Blacks crew
In order to do just that, the All Blacks will send a “crew” of players over to the United Kingdom early to acclimatise and prepare for the clash before the encounter against the number five ranked team in the world.
This means that in the build-up to the Test against Japan, a group of players will head to London before the rest of the squad.
“We’re going to send a crew that’ll be in a little bit earlier, getting nice and fresh for England, so preparation in the Japan week, and they’ll head over on the Friday,” Robertson explained.
The All Blacks boss is also expecting a hostile reception up north when New Zealand tackle the likes of England, Ireland, France and Italy.
“That’s all part of it isn’t it,” he said. “I think the passion that they bring and the singing, they get early to the game and have a couple of quiet ones and it’s just a different atmosphere.
“That’s what we’ll embrace and look forward to.”
Challenges
It’s been a challenging start to his first year in charge of the All Blacks as his side lost to Argentina and South Africa twice during the Rugby Championship.
Robertson does, however, know what his team needs to get right in the northern hemisphere.
Pinpointing those areas, he said: “Playing good footy, getting the energy right, get the mindset right and we’ve done a lot of work to get our structure right, so now it’s when you’re on the northern tour it’s getting exciting, the energy and start finishing the opportunities we’re creating.”
Robertson has made a handful of changes to his squad, mostly enforced, from the side that did service during the Rugby Championship.
However, the All Blacks boss is pleased by the performances of the players who were released for NPC duty and now has several selection headaches.
Selection headaches
He revealed that a different-looking team will tackle Eddie Jones’ Japan team at the end of the month and was happy to have the challenge of selecting the right squad for whatever Test they face.
“Every week’s tough, especially when the guys have gone back and played some really good NPC and guys have performed through the year,” he explained.
“You pick the best team to win the Test match in front of you, so there’s lots of competition in every position which we’re excited for but some players or some combinations fit the team that’s in front of you.
“It will be a different look in the Japan game before we play England and it’s a good opportunity to give guys a chance that have been in and around the environment.”
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