Sport

England do not fear All Blacks' Eden Park fortress

06:40 am on 10 July 2024

The All Blacks perform the haka before they play England in 2014. Photo: Photosport

The English say they are undaunted by the All Blacks 30-year unbeaten record at Eden Park and are not paying much attention to history ahead of the second test in Auckland.

The All Blacks have not lost a game at Eden Park since 1994, drawing twice and winning on 48 occasions.

However, England say the pressure is on the All Blacks to keep the streak alive.

Assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth said only two of their players carry any demons from their previous loss in Auckland in 2014.

"A lot our lads haven't played there. It is an impressive record. But it has not been the focus of our week. It's not our record to try and get. It's their record to protect. And they've done that for a long time, but it will go some time."

England have played six times at the Eden Park fortress, managing a win in 1973 by 16-10.

"We've not played in New Zealand for a long time before this tour. So these are young lads who shouldn't be burdened by anything, and they aren't."

With the majority of the squad never playing there before, England say they will carry no fear at Eden Park.

Front rower Theo Dan said their focus has been on their own performance and not the numbers.

"It's not something personally I've thought about much. We know that they're very strong at Eden Park, but we're not too focused about the past. We're just focusing on ourselves and the present and what we can influence."

Dan said while they respect the history, they are not intimidated by it.

"Eden Park is obviously a massively historic venue, especially for the All Blacks. But going into this week our our main focus is really just on our performance and making sure that on Saturday, we're the best prepared team."

All Blacks vs England at Eden Park

1963 21-11 All Blacks

1973 16-10 England

1998 40-10 All Blacks

2004 36-12 All Blacks

2008 37-20 All Blacks

2014 20-15 All Blacks