England in fine fettle to face rugby Everest: an odyssey in New Zealand

In the fast-changing modern sporting world there are not many old-school Everests left. Certainly not in rugby union which, aside from the British & Irish Lions, is about to pension off traditional southern hemisphere tours. Blend it all together and there is a special resonance to England’s upcoming first trip to New Zealand in a decade, even with the Euros under way and the strawberries on order for Wimbledon.

In many ways it will mark the end of one era and usher in the next. The new Nations Championship is due to commence in 2026, with familiar touring rhythms set to be exchanged for in-and-out “business trips” involving three different opponents. England will still play the All Blacks in their back yard but not under the same claustrophobic “see-you-next-week” circumstances which have shaped the game’s greatest rivalries.

Related: Steve Borthwick puts faith in Tom Curry in much-changed England tour squad

There is a glimpse of the future in England’s schedule, which features a preliminary one-off Test in Tokyo against Eddie Jones’s Japan next weekend before the Red Rose caravan heads south to New Zealand. Relocating from the heat and humidity of Tokyo to a wintry Dunedin really is a case of swapping the frying pan for something even less comfortable.

Except that, for once, England have embarked with genuine hope and quiet optimism. Japan will be feisty and Jones will have a cunning tactical plan but the visitors should still have a bit to spare. And the All Blacks? Whisper it but this might not be the worst time to play a side with a new head coach and some big-name absentees which has not played since the World Cup final in late October.

Add to that New Zealand Rugby’s currently fractious relationship with its provincial unions and England can at least dare to dream. In addition to a variety of lurid off-field touring headlines over the past 20 years their past seven Tests on Kiwi soil against the All Blacks have produced seven losses, most recently a 3-0 series defeat under Stuart Lancaster in 2014.

The only survivor from that latter expedition is Joe Marler – his front-row mate Dan Cole was recuperating that summer from neck surgery – which further reinforces what a badge of honour a prolonged England men’s tour of New Zealand has become. Set aside the famous 13-man rearguard action in a wet, gusty Wellington in 2003 and you have to rewind to 1973 to find the last time England’s men beat the All Blacks in Aotearoa.

Even that was a standalone fixture, hence the opportunity for Steve Borthwick’s England to make history by becoming the first Red Rose side to defeat the All Blacks in an away series. Ireland have managed it as recently as 2022, memorably winning the series 2-1 after losing the first Test 42-19, so some kind of precedent does at least exist.

The question is whether England will be good enough to reach out and grasp that elusive prize. On the plus side the national team finished the last Six Nations in a positive frame of mind and the second half of this season’s 10-team Premiership has also seen a step up in intensity. Victory over Ireland at Twickenham and a thrilling 33-31 defeat by France in Lyon have hinted at a new England, keen to do more than kick the ball skywards and chase after it.

That said, the imminent relocations to France of Owen Farrell, the Vunipola brothers, Courtney Lawes and Kyle Sinckler, the unavailability of Elliot Daly and the Toulouse-based Jack Willis and injuries to George Ford, Ollie Chessum and Ellis Genge has left Borthwick with little option but to accelerate his rebuilding job. While the head coach talks a lot about building cohesion, he still has to find certain key cornerstones for the long term.

Identifying the best half-back combination, in the absence of both Farrell and Ford, will be particularly crucial. Will it be Marcus Smith who is handed the No 10 jersey against Japan and invited to stake a compelling claim to keep hold of it? Or will his younger namesake Fin Smith jump the queue and nip in ahead of him?

Much depends, as ever, on the tempo at which England want to play but it will be a defining moment in England’s journey if Smith M does end up on the bench. While the Harlequin has been involved with the national squad since 2017, Farrell and Ford have generally set the tone.

If he can elevate his game management to the same level as his pace and instinctive identification of attacking space, the 25-year-old could yet be England’s answer to Richie Mo’unga. Alternatively, with Borthwick openly searching for someone “to really grab this team and take it forward” the younger Smith has had a fine season and has the advantage of playing regularly alongside England’s current starting scrum-half, Alex Mitchell.

New Zealand, regardless, will be eager to impress their new head honcho Scott “Razor” Robertson. That said they will find it harder to bully England at set piece without Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick and might just be wrongfooted by the ability of one or two opponents. Chandler Cunningham-South is far from certain to be a Test starter but his return to New Zealand, where he spent his formative years, will raise eyebrows. Then there is Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, already a bright, ascending star on the right wing. “I think we’ve got a lot of attacking talent in this squad,” said Borthwick. “You can see the pace and dynamism we have in the squad. We want to make sure those players bring that point of difference on to the pitch.”

Factor in the heft of George Martin, the classy left boot of Henry Slade – England should ask him to kick some goals – the energy of Ben Earl, the returning vigour of Tom Curry and the defensive impact of Sam Underhill and who knows? This purposeful England squad are no longer boring, route-one plodders or the serial losers of Kiwi folklore. It took a last-gasp penalty from Handré Pollard to floor them in the semi-finals of the last World Cup and they are a cheerfully united group.

So if they can make a fast start beneath the roof of Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium, having generated early momentum in Tokyo, it is not beyond the realms of possibility they could ruffle a few All Black feathers. When it comes to compelling sport, the Euros and Wimbledon may yet have some serious competition in the coming weeks.