All Blacks v England: English prop says his teammates must be ‘selfless’ to see off Scott Robertson’s men

Fin Baxter believes a “selfless” approach holds the key to England’s hopes of a rare win over New Zealand when they face the All Blacks at Twickenham.

England have won just eight of 46 tests against New Zealand in a fixture dating back 120 years, with their most recent success a dramatic 2019 World Cup semifinal victory in Japan.

But you have to go back to 2012 for England’s last win over the All Blacks at Twickenham.

England coach Steve Borthwick, who has already named his side, believes his players must be ready for “pain and suffering” if they are to triumph in the showpiece fixture of their Autumn Nations Series, with assistant coach Kevin Sinfield and Brighton football club manager Fabian Hurzeler addressing the squad this week.

“This is going to be a tight test match, so competitive and one where every little thing counts,” Baxter, the Harlequins prop who was on the losing side three times against the All Blacks in 2024, said.

“Kev spoke to us and so did Fabian, who spoke about being the best teammate, being selfless. When it comes to enduring pain and doing stuff for the team, you are being selfless.

“You are running when your body is telling you not to, you are getting up, getting off the line and hitting things hard. That’s a big part of rugby and the mental side that is not so obvious.

“You have to keep going and ignoring the little voice that is telling you to stop, because that is what’s best for the team.”

England go into the game following November wins over Australia and Fiji, with New Zealand, who have already defeated Ireland and Scotland this month, looking to maintain their bid for a Grand Slam of wins over the Home Nations ahead of next week’s encounter with Wales in Cardiff.

Veteran playmaker George Ford, tipped as a future Red Roses coach by Borthwick, the former England captain, has been given the task of steering the home side to victory, with Baxter a keen admirer of the 32-year-old’s tactical nous.

“George is so brilliant at communicating to the team about the bigger plan. That’s what I have been most impressed with,” the rookie front-rower said.

“It is such a hard skill to have but that is why he is a 100-cap international. I don’t know where it comes from, but he has got it.”

– AFP