New Zealand hooker Codie Taylor dismissed any talk that their 19-7 defeat to England in the 2019 World Cup will play a role in Saturday’s match.
The All Blacks suffered an emphatic loss to England in that semi-final, with Eddie Jones’ side running them off their feet in one of their best performances.
But Taylor, 31, insists that Rugby World Cup fixture is only a distant memory in their psyche as they look to impress in this Autumn Nations Series clash.
2019 semi-final a long time ago
“You never like losing, but this is a new team. There were a few of us who were part of that 2019 side, but there are a lot of us who weren’t,” Taylor said.
“For us it’s about building on the progress we’ve made over the last few weeks.
“Playing England is tough, a real arm wrestle. They’re a nation who are really proud about their rugby and so are we.
“Their forward pack really sets up how they want to play and we think it will be much the same this year.
“They’ve got athletes who pride themselves on momentum. They also show some good innovation and play with good continuity.
“They’ve had some success and we just want to get stuck in.”
Taylor is currently in a battle with Samisoni Taukei’aho for the hooking jersey, with the latter having taken to international rugby like a duck to water.
It will be interesting to see if the All Blacks opt to swap their roles against England, with Taylor having been on bench duty against Scotland.
Mass changes from All Blacks?
There will likely be wholesale changes made by head coach Ian Foster following that narrow success at Murrayfield, with the likes of Brodie Retallick, Shannon Frizell, Aaron Smith, Richie Mo’unga, Rieko Ioane and Sevu Reece all set to return to the starting line-up for what is a blockbuster game at Twickenham.
The clash with England will be New Zealand’s last of the year which adds to its importance, with a loss set to reapply the pressure on Foster.
Despite winning the Rugby Championship with a record of four victories out of six games, the All Blacks have been under scrutiny in 2022 after inconsistent performances that included an historic series defeat to Ireland on home soil. However, they have recovered admirably of late by claiming six wins in a row.
Click Here: cheap nike air zoom shoes