England hooker Dylan Hartley said they have had a taste and now want more.
A weakened England side came close to upsetting World Cup holders, the New Zealand All Blacks, in Auckland last Saturday, only to lose the first Test 15-20 through a 78th-minute piece of individual brilliance.
It did not help the England cause that they butchered a number of opportunities through handling errors and poor choices.
rugby365
Hartley feels that if England are more clinical and stop squandering scoring opportunities, they have a real chance of beating the All Blacks in Dunedin this coming Saturday.
“We fronted up at set piece time and challenged the All Blacks, which was good,” the hooker said about last week’s Auckland outing.
“Defensively, we were very sound and attack-wise we were in good shape and made good line-breaks,” he added.
“I think it’s about being more clinical when we make these line-breaks and coming away with points.”
He said both teams were rusty in the first match of the three-Test series, and the tourists had to be prepared for New Zealand to lift a gear in Dunedin.
“We’ve got to be better and we’ve got to run with them for 80 minutes this weekend, knowing that the intensity is going to go up a notch,” he said.
Hartley played no part in the Auckland Test because he was among a group of players whose arrival in New Zealand was delayed by the Premiership final, with Rob Webber of Bath filling in for him and having an outstanding game.
Harley said he could understand if some of the so-called “second stringers” retained their spots over more fancied rivals in Dunedin as a reward for their tenacious performance in the opening Test.
“It’s a squad thing, it’s a team thing, there’s a bigger picture to all this,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll get an opportunity somewhere and, as ever, I’ll give it a good shot when I get a chance.”
I recon no matter what England throw at the All Blacks this weekend, the All Blacks will have improved enough to see England off… and more comfortably too this time around.
England would be clever to target the All Blacks tight 5 as a weak spot, that’s where England dominated possession and territory last weekend… and THAT is where the All Blacks are beatable!
@ grootblousmile:
So you keep saying, where do you think the Bokke are beatable?
2 @ NZINCHINA:
Are you going to tell me England did not dominate possession and territory and did not expose the All Blacks tight 5 last weekend?
The Bokke sure have their own weaknesses too, that is no secret. The difference I suppose is, we do not hide from it or deny it, with counter-measures… like YOU (not New Zealanders in general) tend to do.
It is rather silly to try and engage you and to try to have a reasonable conversation with you, because you are unable to reason, therefore I will not even try.
I left a message for you here on R-T the other day, saying you always seem to be in a combattive mood and style, never having one good thing to say… and it shows, still shows… and I suppose will always show.
Take a leaf out of your fellow countryman, Cane’s book… he fits in here quite well, a very pleasant and intelligent fellow (without having to agree to what we have to say, but without the beliggerance you clearly exhibit).
Why do you always perceive an attack, and react in a defensive and offensive manner?
Saying that – I do not wish pull your comment #2 apart – I’m looking at the way you ALWAYS counter or should I say “parry and strike”.
Life’s not a bitch fella, no need to be on the offensive the whole time…. this is not Keo!
Noodleboy is very balanced he has a chip on each shoulder.
In actual fact he has nothing to say.
@ grootblousmile
1 loss in 35 tests, we don't have any weaknesses Groot. Your mate funny guy used terrible language on here the other day and wasn't cited, it would seem the rules are different for some…
5 @ NZINCHINA:
Spare me the victum mentality here China, please… for goodness sakes.
Look at your comments today, on the various threads and tell me if you do not think that most or all of them has a “parry and strike” attitude.
By the way, I was’nt citing you, if I had you would have known and been out of here in a hurry. I am trying to get you to fit in and be a reasonable oke, that’s all.
Life’s a box of chocolates, you know!
NZINCHINA wrote:
Jy is eenvoudig kakdom my ou
You sound like a 12 year old girl noodles.
You’re not a 12 year old girl are you ?
😆
@ grootblousmile:
I don’t agree with your statement that the Ab’s are weak in the tight 5, what we lack in pure grunt we more than make up for in skill and being able to play a full 80 minutes, we win plenty of games in the last “second” because our tight 5 is still making tackles and passing, can the same be said of most of the other international teams? e.g. John Smit in his 100’d game he’d ran out out of gas and Nonu ran straight through him, Groot we win so many games at the death because our players are better conditioned and more skilled and that incldues our tight 5.
@ gunther:
You still trying to be funny, where’s your mate Katgirl you two were farking hilarious.
@ NZINCHINA:
Indeed we were.
And you still carry on like a pre-teen who has lost her One Direction tickets.
Keep looking for attention Noodles.
@ gunther:
yer you two stole the show with your wit
9 @ NZINCHINA:
The All Blacks conditioning has been admirable in the last few years, it has been a particular strenght.
The All Black off-loading game too, a wonderful strenght.
If good conditioning is keeping your team afloat and above the rest, it could possibly be one of the easiest ways to catch up to and pass the All Blacks. All which then needs doing is to up the conditioning of the Springboks, the Wallabies and England.
I’ve been watching for a few seasons however, where the tight 5 of the All Blacks have not had the upperhand, and it’s a matter of time till that is exposed and used against the All Blacks.
Whether that will happen in 2014 is debatable, maybe not.
To say the All Blacks has no weaknesses, as you outright said, is farcical, naiive, arrogant… or perhaps even plain absurd. It is wishful thinking, blinkers on!
The All Blacks will need to be more innovative and inventive to stay ahead of the pack.
Interesting fenomina is how the rest of the Rugby world seems to always catch up to the All Blacks in World Cup years, when all teams are conditioned well… a big leveller.
@GBS – this might be a spoof account meant to raise the blood pressure – do a IP trace just to make sure
14 @ Gena_ZA:
Nah, the China was obviouly on Voldy too…
@ NZINCHINA:
Absolutely.
To be fair though you made it too easy.
Noodles loves a good argument, with himself mostly. The voices in his head.
Still it takes all kinds.
@ grootblousmile:
He’s an old Voldy regular, a blogging refugee if you will.
18 @ Stormersboy:
Jeeez, all the oke needs to do is to be just a bit more people-friendly.
Of course he MUST support his teams, no problem… but hell one expects the oke not to look for permanent confrontation in doing so.
@ grootblousmile:
Ja he learned his bad habits over there. Doesn’t know any better but still, as long as he keeps within bounds I guess he brings a certain flavour…..
I see Elton is also off to Japan after the SR.
Who isn’t going then??
20 @ Stormersboy:
I don’t want to chase the chap away, but at the same time I do not want him to bring VOLDY COMBAT MODE and try to make this site like that.
I won’t stand for that, no way.
What’s wrong in just being a bit human, friendly and fitting into the community, enhancing it in the process. He’ll benefit out of it too!
Fark, he can bring all his buddies too, if they’ll all just fit in.
Diversity is nice, discourse in the community is not!
Look at old Cane, every now and then he gets pissed off ever so slightly with the “freegin saffas”, but he fits in and we consider him our rugby brother, from another mother… and therefore he enriches the community. That’s the spirit to have!
@ grootblousmile:
Yip, with you 100%.
I see that on the news just now it was reported that Frans Steyn was released from the Bok camp at his own request, he wants to consider his future or something like that.
23 @ Stormersboy:
Serious??
Fokkie Toggie!
@ grootblousmile:
Yes he won’t be available for the June tests. Not sure what the story is.
@ grootblousmile:
My China’s best mate is ChCh. They get on like a house on fire. And don’t mention Robbie Deans to my china.
@ Stormersboy:
@ grootblousmile:
He’s walked out on the Sharks. He’s now walked out on the Boks. Who’s next? He is proving to be a real maverick.
@ grootblousmile:
Groot, it’s very easy for you to write about what you think may or may may not happen but as it stands one loss in 35 tests and one defeat to the Bokke in the last 10, you just don’t get that type of record with a weak tight 5 or any huge weaknesses. If the Bokke had the same record and I said you had a major weakness you could just imagine the comments, in 09′ when the superlatives were flowing about the Bokke they beat the Lions with a last minute injury time penalty and lost the 3rd test, got thumped up north by club sides etc yet we were told their tight five was the best in the world and most of their team would make a world 15, short memories….
@ NZINCHINA:
Welcome old chap. I am also on the red carpet many times. My sin, i dont believe HM is Gods Gift to SA rugby. He is just as bad as the most hated Jake the Snake. He also walked out like a girl when he was pipped to the Top Coach position. But he was forgiven. Why he got special treatment heavens know.
He even had to say that after he was gifted the 1st Super title by a refs mistake that he had nothing more too prove. Hey come on….. Win it again without the help of the Ref, that would have proved something. Well his friend and successor Frans at least won 2 legitimate Super titles.
So far he is still searching for his first win against the All Blacks. It sickens me that Romain Poite took the contest away but if we go unsuccessful again this year it will be a major humiliating blow. There is actually only one way we can keep our brave challenge real and that is by winning BOTH tests vs the AB,s
superBul wrote:
The half empty guy
But i dont care the stats help me out.
Just get that win ratio right against NZ
Our game plan will never give us daylight and comfort against NZ. They can turn on the screws and catch a 10 points deficit in a few minutes, what HM need is a Eddie Jones addition to his coaching staff. But with his strict structural play a guy like Carlos Spenser will only be a onlooker.
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