BBC Sport: Achieving “Famous Victory” at Eden Park within Reach for England’s Rugby Union Team
England’s second-row forward Alex Coles believes a historic win at Eden Park is a distinct possibility for the national rugby union team in the upcoming second Test against New Zealand, provided they can improve their accuracy and execution.
Steve Borthwick’s men narrowly lost the opening match of the series 16-15 in Dunedin, a spirited performance that left them ruing missed opportunities to secure a rare victory on Kiwi soil. While flyhalf Marcus Smith missed two penalties and a conversion, and the pack faced vulnerabilities at the scrum and breakdown, England still managed to hold a 15-10 lead heading into the final quarter.
“It was such fine margins so it’s about how can we get five per cent more in our advantage so we get that extra bit of territory or don’t give a penalty away,” Coles told BBC Sport. “It’s actually really small things, there is no quick fix. There wasn’t anything underlying really that let us down, but a few things here and there.”
The 23-year-old acknowledged that the All Blacks boast a formidable home record at Eden Park, having not lost there since 1994 – a remarkable 49-match unbeaten streak. However, Coles insisted that England are not overly focused on this daunting statistic, instead concentrating on executing their game plan to a higher degree.
“As a team we’re not going to focus on that too much. We just have to go out there and do our gameplan a little bit better,” he said.
England have typically named their side for each tour match 48 hours in advance, but they may revert to the customary Thursday announcement slot for the decisive clash, as head coach Borthwick finalizes his selection.
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