England must use victorious Australia's template

WORLD CUP winner Neil Back believes England need to emulate Australia tactically if they are to open their autumn campaign with an unlikely win over New Zealand today.

The Wallabies ended the All Blacks' 15-match unbeaten run in a pulsating, attack-oriented Bledisloe Cup match in Hong Kong last Saturday.

The Kiwis come to town as the Tri Nations champions and the current No 1 ranked team in the world as they once again peak early in the World Cup cycle.

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England are down in sixth, though buoyed by their victory over Australia in Sydney in June which was the highlight of Martin Johnson's often problematic reign to date.

The war of words in the run-up to today's game was heightened in midweek when England defence coach Mike Ford dismissed the summer's try-laden Tri Nations series as not being a true representation of the current international game, adding that England would today seek to shut down New Zealand's offence at source.

But after watching Australia successfully out-manoeuvre the All Blacks in a 26-24 triumph in the Far East, Leeds Carnegie head coach Back feels England, with a back-three axis of Ben Foden, Chris Ashton and Mark Cueto, can offer some offensive guile to their defensive robustness.

"Australia demonstrated a clear game plan of how to defeat New Zealand and I think England have the players that can play in a similar way," said Back, who played alongside Johnson in England's World Cup triumph in 2003.

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"Australia narrowed New Zealand up and then played to width with good distribution and then good pace on the edges.

"England can do that. They've got good distribution through the midfield and they have got pure pace through the back three so as long as they don't go too wide too early, and they continue getting the hard yards through the middle – for which they have the players who can do that – they have a good chance.

"They need a clear game plan and to stick to it from the off.

"At the scrum they should have the upper hand over New Zealand and at lineout there'll be parity there. It's going to be about the physical exchanges, all about the contact area, and hopefully Hendre Fourie gets on and shows his quality."

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Fourie's anticipated debut from the bench with Steve Thompson continuing at hooker is a testament to the strides Leeds have made under Back and director of rugby Andy Key since the former Leicester Tigers' duo took charge in June 2008.

If Fourie and Thompson are on the field together today it will be only the second time two Leeds players have represented the Red Rose together, following on from Mark Regan and Iain Balshaw in the 2004 Six Nations.

Despite their poor start to the season – seven defeats from seven in the Aviva Premiership – Back remains typically bullish in his aspirations for the club, and he believes England's current standing ahead of the four-match Investec Challenge series bears a resemblance to the challenge facing the Yorkshire club.

"Where England are right now it will be a difficult series," he said. "Like Leeds Carnegie they go into every game wanting to win; what we need to see from England is a good level of performance, we need to see a pattern of how they're going to operate and how they're going to play.

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"We need to see real passion and real desire and commitment from the team, and to beat New Zealand physically."

Eight years ago Back was part of Clive Woodward's England team that won all four Autumn Internationals en route to their World Cup triumph in Sydney 12 months later.

With the All Blacks assuming the role of dominant force a year out from hosting the tournament next year, the current England squad is more a work in progress with five of the starting XV today having never represented the Red Rose at Twickenham.

Australia, Samoa and South Africa also visit headquarters this month with Johnson's side the underdogs in three of the four games, but it is that ratio Back thinks England are capable of achieving in victories.

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"If England win three out of four, that'll be a good return, but let's not forget we're playing the best three teams in world rugby as well as Samoa who are a handful on their day," said Back.

"It's the toughest challenge England will have prior to the World Cup. In 2002 the England team won all four; I don't think this current squad are quite where that squad was but we need to see at least three from four, and four good performances to give the team the belief and confidence they need to go and win the World Cup.

"You look at the squad and they've got real strength in depth now. A lot of those guys are performing outstandingly well in the Premiership, which is one of the most physically demanding club competitions in the world.

"I'm really looking forward to the series. I think it'll be a great series for England under Martin Johnson.

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"I hope they do well, they've got two Leeds players who I hope do well for England."

The war of words in the run-up to today's game was heightened in midweek.

OFFENSIVE GUILE: Neil Back, inset, rates the potential of England's three-man axis of Mark Cueto, above, Ben Foden and Chris Ashton. MAIN PICTure: DAVE JONES/pa.