Beating England? It needs respect

By ALAN PERROTT

The All Blacks will not beat England unless they can put their hands on their hearts and say they respect them as equals, says former Scotland and Lions captain Gavin Hastings.

The 61-test fullback said in Auckland yesterday that the English team had developed into an utterly committed, professional machine, which was unbeatable when it hit its straps.

"Clive Woodward doesn't just want England to be the best rugby team in the world, he wants them to be the best sports team in the world."

Hastings predicted the All Black cup campaign would end in tears yet again unless they abandoned the Southern Hemisphere attitude of rugby superiority over all things English.

"New Zealand and Australia don't respect the English," he said.

"And the All Blacks can't afford to go into a match against them with any arrogance.

"But I am not convinced that the All Blacks can convince themselves that they respect the English."

He warned it would take much more than flash wingers to beat a team who excelled at "grown-up" rugby which was uncompromising and confrontational.

Despite New Zealand blowing two gilt-edged try-scoring opportunities in their narrow loss to England in Wellington this season, Hastings said he never felt the Six Nations champions were in any danger of losing.

So how do you beat the unbeatable England?

"The smart answer is score more points than them, but I really don't know.

"I don't know if they are beatable right now, that's the intriguing thing about this World Cup."

Hastings doubts the All Blacks will be helped by their closed shop, no comment attitude.

"I never understand why some teams decide to batten down the hatches and refuse to talk to anyone. It's not a healthy state of affairs.

"If you end up being successful, what do you do then? Open up the doors and be all sweetness and light? It won't work."

The Northern Hemisphere was also puzzled by the psychological hold the French had over New Zealand, said Hastings.

He was at the disastrous France-All Blacks semifinal in 1999 and said it was one of the most amazing games he had ever seen, but cited France's 2-0 series win in New Zealand before the 1995 World Cup as the best source of this country's nervousness.

Looking into his crystal ball, Hastings backed Ireland as his dark horse, predicting victory over Australia on November 1 would set them on a path that could stretch as far as the semifinals. But he had his fingers crossed for a titanic England-New Zealand shootout in the final.

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