Scott Robertson insists England should expect a much better All Blacks side than the one that managed a series win in July.

The 50-year-old took over the squad following the 2023 Rugby World Cup and started with two tests against the Red Rose.

new zealand they were challenged in both matches but came through to secure 16-15 and 24-17 wins in Dunedin and Auckland respectively.

However, the All Blacks were unable to maintain their 100% record and suffered a disappointing Rugby Championship campaign, losing three of their six contests.

Rematch

As a result, Robertson enter the European Tour under a light pressure and start with a tough game at Twickenham on Saturday.

But the head coach warned England that the All Blacks have improved since that mid-year run.

“We’ve been on tour a few times, we’ve experienced different environments and we’re a lot more connected and understand our game, so we’re in a good place,” he said after their 64-19 win. over Japan.

Robertson was slightly frustrated with what he saw in their mid-season series as he felt the players failed to execute what they had practiced in training.

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t transfer what I coached onto the pitch,” the All Blacks boss said after their 24-17 triumph at Eden Park in July. “But we created enough chances in the end and that’s Test footy.

“We knew we had opportunities. I have to take ownership: “Look I asked them to do it.” Now we have to do it.

“Do I need to train better? That’s what next week and the next series is about.”

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Unlike the mid-year series, the All Blacks have an advantage over England this time around as they head into the London clash battle-worn after a tough Rugby Championship schedule.

Instead, Steve Borthwick’s men go out in the cold after not playing since July. Although the players have found their feet in the early rounds of the Premiership season, it is not the same as appearing in a blood-soaked Test match.

“They will be ready”

“Obviously they’ll still be fit, a lot of their players will be playing in the Premiership, that’s a great competition and they’ll be ready,” Robertson said.

“I’ve been under Steve for a while. It seems like a long time since I played them, a lot can happen between them.

“We’re playing a good game, they’re playing a bit more than before so it’s going to be an interesting week.”

The All Blacks began their preparations for the England match with a dominant win over Japan in Yokohama.

It wasn’t perfect, with their second-half performance again an issue, but there were a number of positives Robertson took from the win.

“I thought the Test match had everything, I thought Japan’s start was superb. They wanted to play fast rugby and they did. Extremely fast,” he said.

“And then when we had the ball, we executed and looked great. There were some great looks in the first half and we defended for long periods in the second half, but overall we’re happy; finish strong and be injury free.

“Japan is a good team. They were big, they were physical and they had their moments.

“I’m very proud of our defense. A lot of time we covered tackles, we had a strong play and we did some good things and there are areas to work on normally.”

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