ENGLAND will not just be facing 15 world-beating New Zealanders — they will be up against the invincible aura and unique mystique of the All Black legend.
The theatre of the pre-match Haka, the weight of history and the demands of a rugby-mad nation to extend an unprecedented winning streak at World Cups to a 19th match.
It all adds up to the most daunting proposition in world sport.
Sir Clive Woodward refused to use the term ‘All Blacks’ when he led the British and Irish Lions to New Zealand in 2005 but his psychology failed and his team were stuffed 3-0.
This week, England coach Eddie Jones talked them up as the greatest sporting team the world has ever seen, marvelling at the consistent success achieved by a nation of just four million people.
Yet Jones also warned his players not to ‘become part of the show’, knowing New Zealand’s opponents can often feel beaten before kick-off.
The idea of ‘playing for the shirt’ has become a sporting cliche. But with the All Black jersey, it doesn’t feel like hot air.
Like the famous marigold shirts of Brazil’s footballers or the baggy green caps of Australia’s cricketers, the All Black kit has taken on a sacred status.
For Brazil in 1970 or the dominant Aussies around the turn of the century, read the all-conquering New Zealand side of this current decade.
England wing Anthony Watson talked a good game this week and suggested Jones’ men are determined not to treat New Zealand with too much respect.
Watson, 25, said: “I was never too fazed by the whole mystique of the All Blacks.
“I respect the prolonged success they’ve had but the whole aura and the invincible stuff — I never bought into that.
“They are rugby players and we’re rugby players. We work very hard and they work very hard. They are beatable.”
He is not wrong. Since the retirements of legendary skipper Richie McCaw and the great fly-half Dan Carter after they retained the Webb Ellis Cup in 2015, there have been chinks in the armour.
Ireland defeated the world champions in Chicago, the Lions pulled off a heroic drawn series two years ago, while England lost by a single point at Twickenham last November — denied victory when a brilliant Sam Underhill try was ruled out by the TMO.
Yet New Zealand remain the most intimidating of opponents and the Haka is what sets the scene.
Up until the mid-1980s, the Haka was an ‘embarrassing’ imitation of the traditional Maori war-dance challenge. It was skipper Wayne ‘Buck’ Shelford — a man who once returned to a Test match against France after he’d had a ripped scrotum stitched up — who insisted on introducing the authentic version we see today.
Several attempts have been made to face down the Haka.
Richard Cockerill, on his first England start in 1997, went nose-to-nose with Norm Hewitt, provoking a shoving match and an inquiry as to ‘what the f*** have you done?’ from team-mate Martin Johnson.
New Zealand won 25-8.
Wales have tried different methods, most famously when their Grand Slam champions of 2008 eyeballed out the All Blacks in a Mexican stand-off.
New Zealand won 29-9.
And before the 2011 World Cup final, France advanced on the Haka in a V-formation, enraging the home crowd at Auckland’s Eden Park.
But New Zealand scraped home 8-7 for their first World Cup triumph in 24 years.
A more recent addition to the All Blacks legend is the ‘no dickheads’ policy, introduced by mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka to root out players with disruptive, over-inflated egos.
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Although this did not prevent the restoration of scrum-half Aaron Smith after he had been caught having sex with a woman in a disabled toilet at Christchurch Airport while on international duty in 2017.
So, whatever the mystique, the aura and the theatre surrounding them, these All Blacks really are very human after all.
The chief problem for England is they remain a magnificent bunch of rugby players.
