Chris Ashton: Former English winger previews the clash between the All Blacks and England

The All Blacks are facing the next hurdle in their journey towards a Grand Slam, this weekend at Twickenham.  

England have struggled against the All Blacks recently, not having defeated them since their 19-7 win at the 2019 World Cup semifinal in Yokohama. Their run against the All Blacks at Twickenham is even worse, with their last home victory occurring in 2012.  

Chris Ashton is a former English winger who was a try scorer in England's last victory over the All Blacks back home, and he joined D'Arcy to preview the match. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talks EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
We're going to get things going at this hour. All
Blacks fee England tomorrow morning, ten past four, live and
free here on News Talks EB and iHeart Radio. The
build up continues. England struggling. It's fair to say against
the All Blacks recent they haven't beaten the Abs since
the nineteen to seven win in the twenty nineteen World Cup.

(00:34):
List said about that the better in that semi final
in Yokohama. They haven't beaten the All Blacks at Twickenham,
their last home victory thirty eight twenty one, beating back
in twenty twelve. A man who played in that match
and scored a try as Chris Ashton, former wing slash
fullback of the English team, it joins us now to
preview the game. It's with great pleasure I bring them

(00:56):
to the radio now. Chris, welcome. You'd be looking forward
to this test coming up. Pretty happy memories from twenty twelve.

Speaker 3 (01:04):
Yes, seems like a long time. Well, there's a long
time ago now. I played New Zealand five times. I
think I was figuring out today so I was the
only one I ever got anywhere near to really win.
In the other ones well felt impossible at times, so
I'm glad I got one under my belt.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
You played them a few times then, right, You played
them in Dunedin Beck in the day too.

Speaker 3 (01:27):
Yeah, yeah, it did well to Dneda and Hamilton, and
I even went and played the old Demurial Blacks in.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
Napier so in twiging them this week in what are
the keys to victory for both sides?

Speaker 3 (01:40):
Chris, great question. I England nine and a run of
nine wins, so they're in a good spot. They got
a really good mix of young and not all just
experienced players who are late twenties, early thirties. Not too

(02:02):
many of them. I think they want one or two more,
but they've just got a good balance and they're still
finding fully how to really win tight test matches. But
they're in a good spot. They've got some really good players.
But I think this weekend's really really important for everyone
in this country and Europe in the Northern Hemisphere, just
to know where England sit on the other side. From

(02:27):
being an Englishman looking at the All Blacks, it seems
like they're still trying to figure out exactly how they're
going about winning Test matches. For so long through my
career they were pretty much impossible to beat, and they
were so dominant for so long. It's been tricky to
watch them not fully know what they want to get

(02:48):
out of games. But I mean I say that they
still win so many Test matches. They still find a
way to win test matches. That is the beauty of
the Blacks.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
There's nice secret Chris at the Bake. Three of the
ub Blake's vulnerable under their high bore. I'm told that
it might be some weakness and the English side too,
am I Am I wrong?

Speaker 3 (03:09):
I wouldn't agree with that, you know, I think we're
pretty good at it. Roadbook is standing in the premiership
in and he's done some damage in the past few
weeks of getting up against Australia. Really did so well
against him. He created two tries from it, getting up
against box kicks and catching and scoring two tries from it.

(03:29):
So Roadbook's really good and Freddie Stewart's solid at the back.
He had an off day against Australia, so he'll have
to be on it this weekend. But I do think
England I've got on edge there over them. It's whether
they can make fully make use of it. It's an
advantage that I think England have got over New Zealand.
And New Zealand they're going to try and negate that

(03:51):
somehow with it being a one on one contest. Now
it's not a free for all because it's got to
be a skill that you've got to be unbelievably good at.
But I do think it's an area that England could
have an edge on.

Speaker 2 (04:04):
The Old Blacks don't do us a bit their last
twenty minutes. The All Blacks have been folding more often
than not. What about the English? Where are they in
the last quarter.

Speaker 3 (04:14):
Yeah, it's been a something that Steve started to build
on more in giving the lads that are starting a
just a really good chance at getting some experience and
caps under the belt. And in doing that, he's really
been loading the bench with experience and it's worked in
the first two games. Because Test matches are so the

(04:38):
relatively close, aren't they these days? Until fifty sixty minutes,
that's the way the games have been folding out and
one team, as we've seen the All Blacks do against
in their first two fixtures they've maned, they've been in
tight games and they've managed to just pull away from
teams in sixty minutes and really just show their edge.
And Damian McKenzie doing that off the bench last weekend

(04:59):
against Scotland and against Ireland, they all backs did the same,
they pulled away from them in the so I think
Steve very conscious of that. But there's definitely I mean
there's like six lines on the bench for England, so
those lads have got a big role, but they're so
used to starting it must be slightly frustrating for them.
So you don't want to come on and try too

(05:21):
hard against the All Blacks. We've got to help one thing.
We've got to hope that England are in the game
at fifty sixty minutes and that these boys can come
in and really make a difference.

Speaker 2 (05:31):
Attitude around the trips for this game. Do you think
the English believe via timers Now?

Speaker 3 (05:37):
I think it's seen as more it's it's an opportunity.
It's a good opportunity. We're at home, we've won nine games,
we're just in a bit of a flow with it
and we're in a bit of a good, good rhythm,
The squade seems happy. We're able to change players in
and out, not seamlessly, but as we see fit as

(05:59):
the opposition is, like Finn Smith and we've got three
really good, high quality, world class fly halfs and Finn
Smith's missed out this game and Marcus Smith slips into
the twenty three. So I think there's just players that
are able to interchange, which is hard to get in squads.
And I think it's just a good, healthy sign that

(06:22):
we're in a good place. But like I started this conversation,
there's a lot on this weekend and it just gives
everybody a clearer picture of where the squad is really
at if we are able to get the win over
the All Blacks.

Speaker 1 (06:35):
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