- Title: Disciplined, error-free rugby key for England against New Zealand
- Date: 23rd October 2019
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (OCTOBER 23, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** ENGLAND TRAINING NUMBER EIGHT BILLY VUNIPOLA TRAINING WINGER JACK NOWELL TRAINING PROP MAKO VUNIPOLA WALKING VARIOUS OF ENGLAND HEAD COACH EDDIE JONES SPEAKING TO JAPANESE PRACTICE PLAYER SCRUMHALF BEN YOUNGS AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND SCRUMHALF, BEN YOUNGS, SAYING: "I have had a fair few opportunities against New Zealand. The most relevant one is the most recent one in the autumn. We just felt like we were in control probably a little bit in the first 25, 30 minutes and how they kept coming back and eventually we went in halftime 15-10 (up). But they got themselves back in the game and winning it. So, just the importance of how error-free you have to be. You saw that again against Ireland; a couple of Ireland mistakes and they are down the other end scoring off the back of it." APARTMENTS OVERLOOKING ENGLAND TRAINING CENTRE HENRY SLADE WALKING WINGER ANTHONY WATSON SPRINTING WHILST ON BANDS WATSON JOGGING PROP KYLE SINKLER ON FLOOR / STANDING UP AND WALKING TO HUDDLE PLAYERS IN GROUP (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND SCRUMHALF, BEN YOUNGS, SAYING: "We have put a big emphasis on our discipline throughout pre-season. If boys did things in training they were sent to the corner of the pitch to get a bit of a flogging and stuff. We have put a big emphasis on discipline because it is probably something previously that we haven't always been terrific at but certainly in this tournament we have been very, very good and we are pleased that we have been able to stay disciplined and the weekend is going to be absolutely vital for that." YOUNGS TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND SCRUMHALF, BEN YOUNGS, SAYING: "I think the mental bit comes from staying engaged and never clocking off. Any turnovers and all that... for me they are the most dangerous team in the world at punishing you on anything like that. So the mental engagement and then the physical... They are physical and they don't get enough credit for how physical they are. Often people talk about the South Africans or the English at being physical but New Zealand certainly bring that aspect as well. It brings everything but that is exciting eh? Because we know we will have to be at our best and I think we are ready to do that." CAPTAIN OWEN FARRELL KICKING BALL FLANKER SAM UNDERHILL WALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND FLANKER, SAM UNDERHILL, SAYING: "They are obviously a very dangerous attacking side who like to play rugby in your half so in terms of purely the territorial side of things you want to keep them out of there. So discipline and cheap penalties would be an easy in for them and one that you don't really want to give them." FLANKER TOM CURRY LAUGHING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND FLANKER, TOM CURRY, SAYING: "You see the benefits of that free-flowing game in attack and the ability to slow ball down at the breakdown, especially defensively, is massive. Especially on the international stage, momentum is huge and so to be able to stop that or speed it up is massive. So you are noticing that in the style of breakdowns, how people are attacking a bit more unstructured." UNDERHILL AND CURRY TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND FLANKER, SAM UNDERHILL, TALKING ABOUT RELATIONSHIP WITH TOM CURRY, SAYING: "They stick us in media together. We didn't chose this at all. We are colleagues, for a start. We get on fairly well. He is always hanging out with (prop) Joe Marler and (prop) Dan Cole. They have formed a bit of an inseparable trio now." REPORTER ASKING: "What do you think about going forward over next few years?" "Socially? Maybe." CURRY: "It is business." UNDERHILL: "Tom is having... you are going to have a bit of a get together at your house when we get back aren't you? You are going to invite myself and Marler and Dan Cole. I am sure we will all turn up. That is probably where we are at." JONES WATCHING TRAINING VARIOUS OF TRAINING UNDERWAY FARRELL KICKING TO CORNER / NOWELL CHASING BALL NOWELL JOKING BACK JONES JOKING AND LAUGHING
- Embargoed: 6th November 2019 08:31
- Keywords: rugby union Rugby World Cup England New Zealand Sam Underhill Tom Curry Ben Youngs Eddie Jones
- Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
- City: TOKYO, JAPAN
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Rugby Union,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001B2BFXVJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: England know that if they to beat New Zealand, the world's number one side and winners of the last two Rugby World Cups, in the semi-finals on Saturday (October 26) , they will have play almost perfect rugby, meaning they must be error-free and disciplined.
So far in this tournament, England have maintained fairly good discipline and have kept errors to a minimum on the way to four wins from four but the All Blacks represent a totally different proposition.
Steve Hansen's side crushed Ireland in the quarter-finals last weekend, capitalizing on all the Irish mistakes whilst hardly putting a foot wrong themselves.
This clean, clinical rugby is what has led New Zealand to 18 World Cup wins in a row.
"The importance of how error-free you have to be," said England scrumhalf Ben Youngs when asked to identify the key to beating the All Blacks.
"You saw that again against Ireland; a couple of Ireland mistakes and they are down the other end scoring off the back of it."
These sentiments were echoed by flanker pairing Sam Underhill and Tom Curry, who have impressed so far at the tournament, with the latter winning man of the match in the quarter-final win over Australia.
Not only have the pair dominated at the breakdown on the field, they have also formed a special bond off it, being given the moniker 'kamikaze kids' by head coach Eddie Jones.
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