England will not fear the All Blacks, says former skipper Dylan Hartley ahead of titanic World Cup semi-final
DYLAN HARTLEY says Eddie Jones’s England will not be scared by the iconic All Blacks jersey ahead of a titanic Rugby World Cup semi-final.
New Zealand are arguably the most dominant side in international sport, winning a whopping 86 per cent of their matches since the 2015 World Cup win at Twickenham.
England have beaten them just three times in 18 Tests this century – the last time was December 2012 – but did run them close in a 16-15 defeat at Twickenham 11 months ago.
Some international teams are defeated before the match has even started, usually when the Haka begins, because of the aura of invincibility surrounding the reigning two-time world champions.
But former captain Hartley reckons the ‘fear factor’ around New Zealand is not a consideration within the England dressing room – and the lads will truly believe they can rock the world No1.
Hartley said: “The media build up this aura for them. New Zealand win games because they are better than other teams. And they lose games because the other team is better on the day.
“As a player whenever you play these guys, I’ve never gone into a game believing that we couldn’t win the game.
“I don’t know if it’s a difference between being a player and a fan. As a player you are a competitor and always believe you can win.
“The reason New Zealand are so good is they have earned their title, their two World Cups, their 80 per cent plus win rate.
“I’ve no doubt that England teams have Lions players who have beaten the All Blacks in New Zealand. The team we played last November came within a point.
“It was frustrating – Sam Underhill’s try was disallowed with Courtney Lawes offside. But the team will believe.
“Throw it back to when we beat them at Twickenham in 2012 and Manu Tuilagi had his day and did whatever he wanted. He has the belief he can do that again.”
Hartley, winner of England 97 caps, would have captained the side in Japan had he not suffered a serious left knee injury while playing for Northampton Saints last December.
The 33-year-old was born and raised in Rotorua – on New Zealand’s north island – but moved aged 16 to England, where his mum is from.
Therefore he has a unique perspective of the two nations and how their play their rugby.
And while there are fundamental differences at junior level, he believes the senior stars have caught up on the international stage.
Hartley, speaking at a Jeep Wrangler Tricky Shot Challenge event, said: “The skillset becomes a lot more natural to them. From an early age they have that philosophy of attacking.
“My experience especially in the UK is defensively-minded, which can win games but you need to score tries.
“They are a team that can balance the game between structure and unstructured rugby and are more adequate at set-piece time. That’s where the competition with England will be interesting.
“New Zealand can flip whenever they want to an unstructured attacking style or flair. They come alive with the ball in their hands.
“England have got to that place now where you have Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, the back-row players with equal ability and skillset.
“But for my parents it was always a difficult conversation when we played New Zealand. They always said: ‘We hope you play well.’
“They always wanted New Zealand to win. So even my own family didn’t want me to win!”
Australian coach Jones has been provocative in the build-up, attacking the cheer-leading New Zealand media and revealing his squad were SPIED on during training.
Hartley owes Jones a great debt to rebuilding his international career and spoke to him a few days ago about his rehab.
He said: “Eddie is a legend. I’d loved working with him. I appreciate the mentoring and the way he prodded me to do my best.
“He is brilliant for the game. He brings colour and personality. A lot of that individual personality is drummed out of the players. They are too cautious and aware they cannot be themselves. So Eddie is great in that respect — as well as being a bloody good, meticulous coach.
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“We talk via text. He text me on Tuesday asking how I was getting on.
“Before a big match, Eddie is fairly consistent with his team, his words, how he carries himself. On the day of the game, you see the intensity building and in Eddie as well.
“It’s four years’ worth of work coming to this point this weekend. From day one he has talked about winning this World Cup, and being the best team in the world.”
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- Dylan Hartley was taking part in the Jeep Wrangler Trick Shot Challenge. Learn the skills to carry out your own challenge here: www.jeep.co.uk/news/trickshot
