England coach, Eddie Jones, thinks England will gain from the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand with their players experience against the All Blacks as they try to close down on the world champions.
The British and Irish Lions Tour to New Zealand next Summer has a 10-fixture itinerary finishing in a three-Test series against the All Blacks, who have not lost a game on home soil since 2009.
Although a Grand Slam and 3-0 series whitewash of Australia have lifted England to second in the global rankings, they are not due to play the All Blacks themselves until 2018.
Jones is confident that the Lions will take a group of England players that will gain valuable experience that will benefit England Rugby.
"Familiarity is important - knowing who you're playing against in terms of what they're good at, what they're not good at, where they're mentally weak, where you can get at them and how you can expose them," Jones said.
"Playing against New Zealand's players is a massive advantage because you need to know your opposition and you need to know your foe.
"We'd be hopeful that we'd get at least 15 players and a couple of coaches on that tour and that they get to see every part of New Zealand.
"From Invercargill up to the Bay of Islands, the plush carpets in the South Island, the hot baths in Rotorua - they'll get to see everything.
"They'll get to understand the Maori side step, the Samoan side step, the Fijian side step, Tongan side step... they'll get it all."
New Zealand have comprehensively beaten Australia and Argentina in the Rugby Championship games, despite the retirement of Rugby Legends such as Richie McCaw and Dan Carter after the World Cup.
"They're good, they're bloody good, but they are beatable. Like every team, they are beatable," Jones said.
"You don't have to play like them, you've got to capitalise on their weaknesses. And they've got significant weaknesses.
"The gap is three per cent. The differences between teams is never that great. I always remember my first year coaching professionally at the Brumbies.
"They came second the year before and I coached them and they came 10th. I thought that I wasn't doing a very good job, I'm sure lot of people thought that too.
"I went through the meaningful stats and the differences between us in 10th and the top-four teams was three per cent. That's always stayed with me.
"People say it's 15 to 20 per cent, but it's not because there are only small differences."
Jones believes New Zealand have a vice-like grip on the global game.
"They control the world. They control every bit of rugby and every law that's changed they drive it. They control rugby in so many different countries," Jones said.
"They are a smart country. They develop their coaches in New Zealand and then they go overseas and coach in the northern hemisphere, so they get a rounded education.
"They go back to New Zealand and then they are ready to coach the All Blacks. Steve Hansen and Graham Henry both had stints in Wales which rounded off their coaching experience.
"There's no coincidence in the fact that New Zealand have become a better all-round team. Now their set-piece is second to none.
"It's because Hansen and Henry have had experience coaching in the northern hemisphere, taken the good parts of the game up here, the expertise in the set piece and taken it home."