Meeting for the first time since a dramatic 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-final, Dan Carter says the All Blacks have a point to prove when they clash with England in London on Saturday.
The All Blacks arrive at Twickenham with a six-Test winning run that helped clinch the Rugby Championship, while the Roses have won just eight out of 42 Tests against the Kiwis.
However, three years ago in Japan, England stunned the then-world champions by emerging 19-7 winners, and two-time World Cup winner Carter believes the “cracker” of a rematch this week will be fuelled by revenge.
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“It’s been too long between games and that’s why I think this game is going to be an absolute cracker. That scarcity brings extra excitement,” the former All Blacks flyhalf told PA.
“There’s also the extra excitement after what happened in 2019 when England completely outplayed the All Blacks. That hurt and will have hurt a lot of the players who are involved that day.
“When you have a defeat like that, the one thing you want to do is play against that opposition again, but we haven’t been able to do that for so long.
“Knowing some of the players who were involved in that game, there will be some personal motivation going on there.”
New Zealand were knocked out of the World Cup the last time they met England, but can the All Blacks exact revenge by toppling the hosts at Twickenham? @mark_keohane and Zels give their picks for the match of the weekend. pic.twitter.com/AAzEYOI2VJ
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) November 17, 2022
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The 112-Test-capped playmaker and record Kiwi points-scorer says victory for Ian Foster’s troops over England will also help build confidence for New Zealand’s 2023 Rugby World Cup title bid.
Carter added: “New Zealand are building. It’s obvious that they’re not happy with their performances throughout the year, but they’ve had some fantastic games and shown what they’re capable of.
“For them to beat England at Twickenham in their last Test match of the year… it’s a huge game for them.
“After this they will have a couple of months off so they need to win because there’s nothing worse than having a few rocks underneath your beach towel throughout the summer, especially leading into World Cup year.
“They will have targeted England in this autumn series and they will have been building towards it as if it were a World Cup final.”
