Launchbury Ready for Retallick and New Zealand Battle

Still just 23-years-old, Joe Launchbury has stamped his authority on an England second row shirt and cemented himself as a real force to be reckoned with in international rugby.

It was just over 18 months ago when the London Wasp made his international debut from the bench against Fiji and then started against Australia the week later, since then having firmly established himself against the best sides in the world.

Launchbury has now won 19 caps and maintained extremely high standards over this season for both club and country. A prominent role in England’s RBS 6 Nations campaign makes him a key figure for the upcoming series against the All Blacks.

Perhaps the young lock’s finest hour to date in an England shirt was in this year’s 13-10 defeat of Ireland in the 6 Nations, where he eclipsed Lions legend Paul O’Connell. Ruthless at the breakdown and superb around the park – with even a tap-tackle on the wing.

Joe is now focussing on the performance of England’s pack as they look towards the first test this Saturday at Eden Park – where the All Blacks haven’t lost a Test since 1995.

Despite the tour coming in the summer after a heavily physical and draining season, Joe is eager to embrace the stern challenge of toppling the world champions in their own back yard.

“The excitement’s really building,” he told the RFU. “We’ve been here for a week now, so it’s been a bit of a wait to get into Test week.

“We’ve trained really well this last week and we’re itching to get into this weekend. The body’s pretty good. It’s been a long season with some pretty big games along the way but I’m delighted to be out here.

“This summer is a massive challenge for us. We’re out here for four weeks, which is a good amount of time to spend with the squad. By the time we get home, we will have learned a lot about where we are as a team.

“It’s a young confident group, and though it’s been slightly different in terms of personnel, everyone’s come in focussed on the task ahead – not just this game but the others to come.”

In accordance with forwards coach Graham Rowntree, Launchbury has suggested that the game, and international rugby itself, boils down to a contest “won by whoever makes the least mistakes.”

Coming off the back of a perfect 2013 that saw 14 consecutive victories, New Zealand will of course feel buoyant.

Launchbury will also have his own personal battle during the game against former age-group advisory Brodie Retallick. The All Black, who provides a muscular presence in the tight and brilliant hands in the loose – has been a prominent figure during their unbeaten run.

Just this week Retallick reportedly could not name a single England player during a media session – forcing out “Martin Lawes” when he was forced for a name.

However, Launchbury offered nothing but praise for his opposite number, but then admitted that individual battles do not decide games.

Also stressing that England would approach the weekend with ambition and self-belief, he added: "I played against Brodie at the Junior World Championship back in 2011 and a couple of times over the past two years. He’s a great player who has come on leaps and bounds. He is an integral part of the way New Zealand attack and go about their set-piece.

“I suppose I try and look at things as one collective pack against another rather than get sucked into straight second-row battles.

“As a forward pack, we’ve got to pick up from the end of the Six Nations in terms of the blend of our game. We want to move teams around the pitch. Hopefully we’ll pick up there and continue to improve.”