So while it’s not exactly odd that England are touring New Zealand, what is odd is the timing of it. England have a warm up game against the Barbarians just a day after the Premiership final, where some of England’s front line players will be hoping to emerge as winners.
This is followed up with 3 tests against the All Blacks on 3 consecutive weekends in June. The timing of these games has even prompted Kiwi coach Steve Hansen to question the wisdom of England’s planning. Head coach Stuart Lancaster will add to his already sizable squad after the Twickenham showpiece but it seems a little strange that only 1 week after the season finishes we will see the squad run out in Auckland without arguably some of the team’s first string players.
Why not move the games back by 2 weeks or so? It seems bizarre that England would be giving New Zealand the upper hand before they even set foot in the country. The team that takes to the field against the Barbarians will be a largely second string team but there will be those who harbour ambitions of forcing their way into the test team. There will also be another chance to impress during the tour with a midweek game scheduled against the Crusaders between the second and third tests.
England vs New Zealand
This will mean that Lancaster will take up to 40 players on tour that will also serve as a starting point for the build up to the 2015 World Cup. With England first choice number 10 Owen Farrell involved in the Premiership final, rivals Danny Cipriani and Freddie Burns will no doubt both be looking to stake an early claim for a place in future squads alongside him, with the likes of Stephen Myler and George Ford, also unavailable for the New Zealand tour, pushing hard for a squad place.
The competition is certainly a boost for England, who will obviously be harbouring ambitions of winning the tournament again, and what better place to do it than on home soil and rugby HQ, Twickenham. Before all that, England have to face a New Zealand team who currently have doubts about number 8 Kieran Read and fly half Aaron Cruden.
If England can put in a good performance in the first test they will be boosted by the addition of the Saracens and Northampton players ready for the second test. All eyes are geared towards the World Cup in 18 months’ time but for England the focus is now, and Lancaster and his team will be looking to lay down a marker against the world’s best by winning the test series that is so hotly anticipated.
It is shaping up to be a good spectacle and even though there is no cup, trophy or tournament win at stake, a chance for England to beat the world’s top ranked team or for New Zealand to put one over the English is more than enough to ensure this test series will be full of scintillating rugby.
Author Bio: Shop Rugby is a specialist rugby retailer run by a team of rugby fanatics. We stock all the latest jerseys from both New Zealand and England as well as merchandise from the top national and regional teams. Visit us online at ShopRugby.com.
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