6) New Zealand have issues at the scrummage
They are not as vulnerable as the Wallabies whose scrum has been a thing of
ridicule this past many years but there are fault lines there that can be
exposed.
7) New Zealanders are mortal
They do get ill. Food poisoning and a mysterious waitress by the name of Susie
did for them on the eve of the 1995 World Cup final in South Africa and the
norovirus bug reduced them to shivering, vomiting wrecks prior to last
year’s game at Twickenham. Did England run them ragged or were they too ill
to compete properly? Keep eyes peeled for macrobiotic muggers and dodgy
waitresses in London this week.
8) The haka
No point making a song and dance about a song and dance. The haka is wonderful
sporting theatre but no more than that. It has resonance for New Zealanders
but its relevance to what happens once the first whistle is blown is zero.
It does not give New Zealand any advantage whatsoever and to think it does
betrays weakness.
9) Defeat hurts against anyone? Not quite
South Africa is the biggest rivalry but losing to England carries the most
sting. Zinzan Brooke told Telegraph Sport recently that the 15-9 loss
at Twickenham caused so much anguish that the only motivational gambit prior
to the World Cup semi-final in Cape Town two years later was to pin the
white England jersey to the dressing-room wall. Not a word was spoken, Jonah
Lomu ran amok and the loss was avenged in spectacular fashion.
10) New Zealanders are humble while the English are arrogant?
It is a tired old line, trotted out with distressing regularity, that the
English are right up themselves. Under Stuart Lancaster nothing could be
further from the truth. But expect to hear it from someone somewhere over
the next few days.
Article source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/rugby-league-giants-reclaim-top-spot-salford-rout-162604644.html
England v New Zealand: Ten myths about the All Blacks to debunk in Talking ...
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