It doesn't get much bigger than England v New Zealand at Twickenham. The Red Rose against the Silver Fern and white versus black. It's going to be an immense tussle in front of a seething crowd, all there to witness a clash that has certainly had its moments...
England 26 - 26 New Zealand, November 22 1997
When the All Blacks get together just before kick-off to perform their ritualised Haka routine you can only react in two ways. You either stand there with submissive deference, appreciating the cultural significance of a war dance that basically informs you of your impending doom. Or you can front up, get in their faces, stick two fingers up to tradition and say 'bring it on'.
Someone who famously took the latter route was the England hooker Richard Cockerill, who decided to make a big impression on his first start for his country. So, as the All Blacks went through their repertoire of 'laying down markers' with bug-eyed abandon, Cockers puffed out his chest before striding forward to go eyeball-to-eyeball with his opposite number. Whether very brave or very stupid it's hard to know but that moment is now the stuff of legend. It seemed to do the trick too, because England had the better of an epic game that finished in a dramatic 26-26 draw.
England 31 - 28 New Zealand, November 9th 2002
While wingers are sometimes derided as 'Fancy Dans' who spend the majority of game-time standing on the edge of the pitch doing their nails, sometimes they do have an important role to play defensively. Beating the All Blacks is always a big deal and a win can garner belief and momentum ahead of a World Cup. For the English, beating an All Blacks team featuring the great Jonah Lomu was something else all-together.
Clive Woodward's World Champions of 2003 had to go through the hard yards in 2002 to make a dent in the aura of the best rugby team in the world. Ben Cohen was a big and fast winger and a scorer of important tries, but his coveing tackle on the NZ speedster Ben Blair close to the corner flag in the 78th minute of the game enabled Woodward to gain his first win over the All Blacks. The rest, as they say, is history.
England 38-21 New Zealand, December 1st 2012
The All Blacks floated into Twickers likea dark menacing cloud ready to envelop the white shirts of England and continue their 20-match unbeaten run. In a truly exhilerating game that swung to-and-fro, in the end it was the Red Rose that overwhelmed the Silver Fern in a record breaking 38-21 victory. This is the match that Stuart Lancaster and his men will look back to as tha game-changer if they go on to win the World Cup next year.
Talking of game-changers, this was the match in which the human cannonball that is Manu Tuilagi finally lived up to his billing. Not only did he score a try, he also had a massive hand in setting up the other two, the second of which will live long in the memory of all those that witnessed a pulsating second-half. Breaking the line at speed the Samoan-born juggernaut charged through the centre-field leaving a trail of 'rag-dolled' All Blacks, including Dan Carter and Richie McCaw, in his wake before handing off to Chris 'Swan dive' Ashton to go over the line.
There is sure to be plenty of incident in Saturday's match so make sure you don't miss a moment of England versus New Zealand, or any of the Autumn Internationals featuring the best teams from both hemispheres... po.st/NTVRugby
