England v New Zealand: Catt Previews the Tour
England Attacking Skills Coach Mike Catt chats to Alex Payne and QBE Rugby ahead of the summer tour of New Zealand, which kicks off this weekend at Eden Park in Auckland.
Alex asks the World Cup winner how, as a coach, he reassembles and prepares a squad ahead of a summer tour after the fatigue of a long season.
Catt maintained that the squad were in a great place with a fantastic atmosphere in camp after the successful 6 Nations campaign earlier this year. However, Catt was full aware that the prospect of facing New Zealand in their own backyard was the greatest challenge this young team have ever had to face.
In 2002, in a similar three-Test series, the soon to be victorious World Cup team, led by Martin Johnson, recorded an all important victory over the All Blacks in New Zealand, which the majority of the squad insists gave them the confidence to win the ultimate prize the year after.
However, Catt, who was an integral part of that team, believes this summer’s tour isn’t quite as pivotal on the outcome of the 2015 World Cup, with their still being “lots of rugby left to play before then.”
One thing is for certain though, with an exciting, youthful England team taking on the best rugby union side in the world, the three tests in the southern hemisphere are going to be a fantastic spectacle.
Click here to hear Forwards Coach Graham Rowntree’s thoughts on the tour.
Mike Catt was speaking exclusively at a coaching event hosted by QBE, official insurance partner of England Rugby. For more great rugby videos and interviews, go to: www.qberugby.com and follow @QBErugby on Twitter.
