England’s rugby team is gearing up to face the formidable All Blacks at Eden Park in Saturday’s second Test in Auckland. Despite New Zealand’s impressive 30-year unbeaten streak at their spiritual home, England’s lock Alex Coles insists the team is not fixating on this record.
The All Blacks’ dominance at Eden Park spans 49 matches, making it a challenging venue for any visiting team. England, however, needs a win to level the two-match series after a narrow 16-15 defeat in the opener in Dunedin.
“We’re not shying away from the fact they have this record, but it’s not playing too much of a part in our preparation,” Coles told BBC Sport. “As a team, we’re not going to focus on that too much. We just have to go out there and execute our game plan a little bit better.”
Coles, who came on as a second-half replacement in Otago, described the experience as intense. “That was my sixth cap, but it felt like ‘a proper Test match’ with such fine margins and two teams going hammer and tongs at it,” he said. “It was personally awesome for me to play against the All Blacks in New Zealand.”
Reflecting on the previous match, Coles emphasized the importance of focusing on small improvements. England led 15-10 at Forsyth Barr Stadium before two Damian McKenzie penalties swung the match in favor of New Zealand. “It was such fine margins, so it’s about how we can get 5% more in our advantage to gain extra territory or avoid giving away penalties,” he added. “There wasn’t anything underlying that let us down, just a few things here and there.”
For Coles, this weekend represents the culmination of a memorable season in which he won the Premiership title with Northampton. “It’s been an awesome season, and I would love to cap it off by getting the chance to play this weekend,” he said. “So hopefully, I get that opportunity, and as a team, winning would be an unbelievable way to finish.”
England remains focused on their performance and game plan as they aim to end the All Blacks’ unbeaten run at Eden Park and achieve a series-leveling victory.
