Scott Barrett: All Blacks still harbor England’s ‘scars’ from 2019 World Cup as they aim to silence Twickenham | Rugby union news
England have not beaten the All Blacks at Twickenham since December 1, 2012, but in the 13 years since then have won the most important meeting of all between the teams.
On October 26, 2019 in Yokohama, England met Rugby World Cup favorites New Zealand in the semi-final of the tournament.
What followed was arguably England’s greatest performance of all time – a stunning 19-7 victory that dashed the All Blacks’ dreams of a World Cup treble.
Since 2012, New Zealand have visited Twickenham five times, winning four (2013, 2014, 2018, 2024) and drawing one (2022). They have also beaten England five times on Kiwi soil.
Yet 2019 still stands out for the All Blacks’ past and present, with captain Scott Barrett speaking about it spontaneously on Friday ahead of Saturday’s final meeting.
“If our history is to be believed, it will be a hell of a test match and we certainly have scars from the English from the 2019 World Cup. We don’t want to go there again,” Barrett said.
“Yeah [2019 still lives in the mind]. Every All Black wants to win a World Cup and having that kind of dream or having the rug pulled out from under them by England certainly leaves a scar.
“For us, it’s about harnessing the strength we’ve built on this season, playing with confidence and putting in a performance on Saturday night that we’re proud of.
“There are about 80 thousand of them, it’s always a challenge from the first minute, always physical, and it’s always a great competition.
“Look back, the few games we played against England were decided by one goal.”
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Sky Sports News’ James Cole reports from the England camp ahead of their huge clash against New Zealand on Saturday
Asked if he was surprised that England – who are looking to win a 10th successive Test this weekend – were the bookmakers’ favorites for Saturday’s contest, Barrett was diplomatic in his response.
“I’m not surprised, to be honest,” he said.
“They have gained momentum at home, they have a young group with experienced leaders among them in key positions. I suppose it is a team that is confident and certainly supports each other.
“Probably going off last week we scored a couple of quick tries and then for a lot of that game we were actually in a tug of war and I think Scotland probably won a lot of those tussles.
“These are areas that England would have highlighted and certainly would have seen as opportunities. A week is a short time and also a lot of time in Test match rugby, and we can’t wait to finish on Saturday and make our country proud.”
England have beaten Australia and Fiji so far this month and are on a nine-Test winning run.
“We want to calm the Twickenham crowd and use it as fuel”
Regarding the prospect of facing England with massive and vocal support at Twickenham behind them, Barrett admitted the crowd would be a factor in the competition, but one she seeks to control.
“Yeah [keeping the crowd quiet]that’s a big part of it. We talked about the noise.
“At the end of the day, noise is a distraction, and you can get frustrated with it, but we use it as fuel in those moments, by getting on with it.
“What you have to do at the end of the day is accept it and smile at it. You wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the Test Arena.
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England’s George Ford speaks ahead of their match against New Zealand hoping to beat the All Blacks for the first time at Twickenham since 2012
“You know, there are a lot of Kiwis here but there are a few more English people who would sing Swing Low Sweet Cart at the end of the game if we are behind.
“We can use that as fuel to make the previous 80 minutes a result that we can be proud of and hang our hat on.
“England have probably doubled down on their DNA, their aerial play and their disruptiveness. We’re certainly prepared for that and we’re excited for Saturday.”
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England assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth still believes there is plenty of room for improvement before facing New Zealand.
England vs New Zealand: the teams
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell; 1 Fin Baxter, 2 Jamie George, 3 Joe Heyes, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 5 Alex Coles, 6 Guy Pepper, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Ben Earl.
Substitutes: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Chandler Cunningham-South, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Ben Spencer, 23 Marcus Smith.
New Zealand: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Leroy Carter, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cam Roigard; 1 Ethan de Groot, 2 Codie Taylor, 3 Fletcher Newell, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 5 Fabian Holland, 6 Simon Parker, 7 Ardie Savea, 8 Peter Lakai,
Substitutes: 16 And his Tieks Ju 17, 19A, 18A, 18:20-12 years.
England Autumn Nations Series Schedule
November 1
England 25-7 Australia – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
November 8
England 38-18 Fiji – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
November 15
England vs New Zealand – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (3:10 p.m.)
November 23
England vs Argentina – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (4:10 p.m.)
