4. LOCK: MARO ITOJE vs SCOTT BARRETT
The battle of the engine room sees England’s Maro Itoje go up against Scott Barrett, with the All Blacks captain looking to build upon his first win as skipper this past weekend. Dunedin was the venue to host Barrett’s maiden charge at the helm of the side, with Itoje out to ruin the Eden Park homecoming for Scott Barrett and his All Blacks.
It is no secret that Maro Itoje is widely respected by the All Blacks fans, pundits and former players. The second-most capped All Black lock of all time, Ian Jones, was full of praise for the Saracen, as he previewed the second row as England’s biggest threat around the hotly contested breakdown. Ian Jones spoke exclusively to Ruck at Auckland’s All Blacks Experience expedition and said;
“Itoje is just sensational, what an incredible man both on and off the field. I first laid eyes on him quite a few years ago when he actually captained the England under 20s, who had a world tournament here and I was mightily impressive both on and off the field then, and that hasn’t changed. So he was an absolute standout.”
Only second in lock Test caps for the All Blacks to Sam Whitelock, Ian Jones stands upon a position of authority when casting his opinion upon the All Blacks skipper. Speaking on how Scott Barrett impressed him as he lead the side to a narrow 16-15 victory over England at the Forsyth Barr Stadium, Ian Jones said;
“(Razor) May elevate his game, he’s a hell of a player anyway. But the great thing about Scotty Barrett is as captain is he’s a classic New Zealander. New Zealand will get them behind him because he is hard working. He is kind of staunch, ruthless, he is just a quintessential New Zealander and New Zealanders love him. The team will love him, they’ll get behind him, he’s a hell of a player who will go the whole 80.”
5. NUMBER EIGHT: BEN EARL vs ARDIE SAVEA
A fearsome battle within the back row, England and New Zealand currently boast two of the top number eights across World Rugby. The closed roof of the Forsyth Barr Stadium was barely able to enclose these two titans, as Earl and Savea met time and again in the viciously contested Dunedin breakdowns. Both the Saracen and Wellington powerhouses have discussed their opposite man in recent press conferences and post-match mix zones, beginning with Savea who said;
“Yeah, Ben’s nice ay. he’s got good feet at the line. And you know, he plays really well and is a strong ball carrier. Yeah, that’s something that we need to identify and nullify, but It’d be very hard for us as a team. That’s how we want to play, get the ball in our hands, and jam.” – Savea
“I’m a big fan of Ben (Earl), how he plays it’s kind of similar to myself. He’s pretty swaggy with the ball and runs hard and he’s got some good feet.”
Ben Earl was able to give a fresh reaction to what it was like to take on the All Blacks back row, as he spoke to the media hot off the frozen pitch in Dunedin. Speaking from the heart at the home of the Highlanders, Earl expressed his frustration at the defeat but also gained valuable experience ahead of the second Test.
“It was great to test yourself against some of the best in the world in terms of Ardie and Dalton Papali’I and those guys. It was a really hard fought battle with myself, Sam (Underhill), Chandler (Cunningham-South), Tom Curry coming off the bench, we good value for the most part of that game. We can hold our heads high in that regard and look forward to kicking on for another battle next week.”