All Blacks v England: Natural flair our X factor

By ROBIN BROOKE

Running an eye down the All Black and England teams for tonight's test one thing stands out - combinations.

Take a look at the England pack. They have been together as a unit for perhaps 30 to 40 tests.

They know each other's game inside out. They have had the benefit of consistency of selection, especially the forwards. There is a ton of experience when you look at guys such as Richard Hill, captain Martin Johnson, Lawrence Dallaglio and Jason Leonard.

You might say a couple of them are getting a bit long in the tooth, but you can't beat that experience.

That's what these All Blacks lack and there's only one remedy: game time together. We are going into this test a little blind. Sure there are experienced individuals dotted through the side, from Anton Oliver at hooker out to Justin Marshall at halfback and Tana Umaga at second five-eighth.

But there also are fairly new All Blacks, including two debutants in the starting XV, finding their feet in international rugby.

Getting good combinations working doesn't happen overnight. Take the relationship between the hooker and his two key lineout jumpers. Oliver is playing his 40th test tonight and Chris Jack and Ali Williams are the two form locks from the Super 12. But you have a Highlander - playing his first test in a year - throwing to a Crusader player and a Blues player.

The All Blacks have not had the benefit of any games together, so you have to cut them some slack. New Zealand rugby fans are not known for their patience, but those combinations will come, given time.

I'm expecting to see Brad Thorn getting on in the second half and I'm looking forward to him making an impact with his ability to carry the ball up and smash through tackles.

I have played with and against some of the England forwards for Barbarians teams and the All Blacks. They are good and know almost instinctively what is required of them.

Johnson has done pretty well as captain. He's pretty aggressive, he niggles and he's into everything. He's probably not the greatest ballwinner and you wouldn't call him the most skilful ball handler, but he's got presence on the field and he's definitely a leader.

Having that experienced core of players around him helps because, in their own ways, they're also leaders on the park.

Two key elements for the All Blacks tonight will be discipline and using their natural talent. They simply can't give Jonny Wilkinson chances to kick for goal inside 40m. He's an unbelievable player, more than just a kicker. If we repeatedly infringe within his range he'll punish us.

Remembering back to the Twickenham test last year, when we did not field a full-strength All Black team, we almost pinched it at the end. They did so by taking the view they had nothing to lose.

The first thing the All Blacks must do is establish a platform, settle into the match. You've then got the choice of playing a fairly structured game or trust your talent.

I suspect England have the game to cope with an organised, patterned approach by the All Blacks. So we must use the one element you cannot plan for - natural talent.

A team can train to defend almost anything, scrums, lineouts or mauls. But you can't prepare for an opponent's natural flair, and in players such as Doug Howlett, Umaga and Maa Nonu, that's what we have. Call it the X factor.

From a psychological viewpoint, I don't see any drama there for the losing team, providing it's not a blowout, and I cannot see that happening. The World Cup is still some way away. Much can change in the next four months.

The one point I would make is that while the All Blacks are expected to win every time they step onto the park, it is different for the English when they play us. With every win they get, from their perspective it chips away a little of the aura about the All Blacks. They gain an extra measure of confidence. They grow in stature.

I've heard quite a few people in the past few days say the All Blacks are underdogs and have virtually written them off. After all we are playing the team rated No 1 in the world.

Maybe so, but this is a pretty good All Blacks team and in any case you should never, ever, write off an All Black side.

My pick? There won't be much in it, indeed I reckon you need to toss a coin on this one. Personally, I can't wait for the kickoff.