'You can't be shocked by it' - Curry on where England will front on NZ

Tom Curry insists England will throw everything at New Zealand in Saturday’s Twickenham showdown knowing that being passive will invite defeat.

The rivals clash for the first time since the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup when England claimed a thrilling 19-7 victory that remains the highlight of the Eddie Jones era.

The All Blacks have appeared vulnerable over the past year but are still odds-on favourites and Curry believes they will justify that status if treated with too much respect.

“We want to have that belief and aggression to go after New Zealand,” Sale openside Curry said.

“When teams sit back against New Zealand and wait to see what they’re going to do, or what they might do, that’s when the All Blacks get their most joy and success.

“There are times when you can see teams sit back and let them do their thing. But we want to be going after them in how we attack and defend and not wait to see how they are, or dip our toe in. We want to go straight in.

“The All Blacks have been known for their individual skill and flair but what is probably at the forefront of their game now is their physicality.

“That can be at the set-piece or just in general, so you can’t be shocked by it. But we want to set the marker in terms of the physicality areas because we feel like we can make an impact there.”

England threw down the gauntlet in Yokohama three years ago by facing the Haka with a V-shape formation, but Curry refuses to place too much emphasis on the pre-match ritual.

“It was how we played that set the tone in that game, you can do what you want before it,” Curry said.

“The Haka is a pretty amazing thing and something you’ve grown up watching. I’ve only faced it once and during that my head was just thinking about the game.

“It’s the same with the anthems. You have to keep focused and keep thinking about the game.”