England Enlist Raducanu To Help Beat All Blacks

Quilter Nations Series: England v New Zealand

Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham Date: Saturday 15 November Kick-off: 15:10 GMT

Coverage: Live connected BBC Radio 5 Live and nan BBC Sport website and app

England enlisted nan thief of British number 1 women's tennis subordinate Emma Raducanu to hit nan All Blacks connected Saturday.

The 2021 US Open champion talked to nan players astatine their Surrey guidelines connected Tuesday astir her mentation for high-profile matches and dealing pinch pressure, arsenic good arsenic watching training and taking portion successful a line-out drill., external

Raducanu, presently classed 29th successful nan world, blitzed her measurement to nan Flushing Meadows title arsenic an 18-year-old qualifier without dropping a group passim her campaign.

Less than 2 months later, past England caput coach Eddie Jones cited Raducanu arsenic an illustration of distractions distant from sport affecting young stars successful an reply astir an emerging Marcus Smith.

"There's a logic why nan woman who won nan US Open [Raducanu] hasn't done truthful good afterwards," Jones said.

"What person you seen her on? The beforehand page of Vogue, nan beforehand page of Harper's Bazaar, immoderate it is, wearing Christian Dior clothes."

After his comments were attacked arsenic "uninformed and sexist", Jones said they were not intended arsenic disapproval of Raducanu and had been taken retired of context.

He wrote to Raducanu to explicate his words, but she did not return up an induce to watch England astatine Twickenham that autumn.

Steve Borthwick, Jones' successor, said he was "grateful" and "privileged" to person nan use of 22-year-old Raducanu's experience.

Outside speakers regularly travel into campy to supply different perspectives. Fabian Hurzeler, head of Premier League broadside Brighton, was different invitee successful nan build-up to nan Saturday's fixture.

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"To person elite sports group for illustration Emma Raducanu visit, sharing pinch nan players her experiences of mentation for athletics and world title astatine nan very, very apical level, it's ever a learning experience," he told Rugby Union Weekly.

"The players enjoyed listening arsenic she was talking astir nan opposition pinch that individual preparation, nan request to guarantee that they're physically getting everything correct successful their game."

Full-back Freddie Steward returns for England aft a difficult day successful nan 25-7 triumph complete Australia connected 1 November.

The 24-year-old uncharacteristically spilled respective precocious balls early on, earlier being forced disconnected successful nan closing stages pinch a dislocated finger.

"The bony was sticking retired nan apical - retired of nan skin," Steward said.

"I tried to get it backmost in. The physios tried and they couldn't get it in, truthful I had to spell down nan tunnel.

"I told nan lads I had injured my pinky digit and they each conscionable laughed, but it is simply a decent one.

"Australia had group up a box-kick, I was nether it and I thought 'What americium I going to do? I'm going to person to drawback it one-handed.'

"But nan footwear went consecutive out, and I've ne'er been truthful relieved to spot a shot spell retired successful my life."

Steward said past year's alteration to laws allowing chasers an unimpeded way into nan aerial title has made fielding specified kicks importantly harder.

"Two weeks agone against Australia, for emotion aliases money, I could not bring a precocious shot down for nan first half," he said.

"I was getting really disappointment because that's nan instauration of my game.

"You person to springiness nan Aussie boys in installments - Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is phenomenal successful nan aerial and Harry Potter came really difficult astatine me.

"It has go truthful overmuch harder. I've tried to drawback complete my caput arsenic overmuch arsenic I can. That's thing I've been trying to do a batch astatine Leicester this season, because it gives you other height, an other metre.

"It's made my occupation much difficult, but I deliberation nan rule alteration is nary bad thing.

"People want to spot aerial collisions and due contests."

He said that nan chance to puncture New Zealand's aura and inflict a first location triumph complete nan All Blacks successful 13 years connected Saturday was a typical opportunity.

Steward has played New Zealand doubly successful his 39 caps, featuring successful nan 25-25 tie astatine Twickenham successful 2022 and a 24-17 conclusion astatine Eden Park successful 2024.

England's astir caller occurrence complete New Zealand came successful Yokohama successful nan 2019 World Cup semi-final, but they person not beaten them astatine Allianz Stadium since a celebrated 38-21 win successful 2012.

"People ever springiness it nan old, 'oh, it's conscionable different week', but it's not," Steward added

"You tin consciousness there's for illustration that other buzz and a spot of excitement and a spot of desperation.

"The All Blacks are iconic? With nan haka and each that happening, it's ever a cracker.

"I retrieve erstwhile we drew that crippled against New Zealand. When nan 3rd effort went successful precocious on, it was 1 of nan loudest I've ever heard nan stadium. It was incredible, truthful nan lads are buzzing for that astatine nan weekend."