Worsley planning All Black 'remedy'

Joe Worsley wants to leave New Zealand on Sunday with his head held high and answers at the ready for England’s many critics in All Blacks country.

The world champions’ crushing 36-3 first Test defeat at Carisbrook last weekend prompted a predictable verbal volley about English inadequacies from jubilant All Blacks fans.

And the emphatic loss – England’s heaviest for six years – came just 12 months after they beat New Zealand in Wellington to give their World Cup preparations a huge psychological lift.

“Last year, we weren’t given a hope out here, but we left New Zealand by addressing the situation,” said Wasps flanker Worsley, who will win his 36th cap on Saturday, as one of six changes from Dunedin.

“This time around, we’ve kind of slipped up and regressed in the eyes of the people here, which disappoints me greatly.

“I was having a coffee, and some guy in a biker suit came up to me and started shouting ’U-u-u Umaga’ every other second, so it does do your head in after a while. Hopefully, we can remedy that one.”

At least Worsley has the chance to do something about it this time around.

His omission from the first Test starting XV was a major surprise and an obvious mistake by the England management, given his sparkling performances when Wasps grabbed Heineken Cup and Zurich Premiership glory on successive Twickenham weekends last month.

Worsley appeared for the second period in Dunedin, and played a key role as New Zealand were kept try-less, but the damage had already been done after England leaked 30 points during a hopelessly one sided first-half.

“I am looking forward to Saturday. I enjoyed going on last weekend, and I am looking forward to hopefully 80 minutes now and a better performance,” he added.

“In that sort of situation, going on at half-time, you’ve just got to get stuck in and see what you can do. It’s not rocket science – you just want to try and make a bit of a difference.

“I was happy at the end of the second-half that we didn’t concede a try in that half, but it is a team game, and everyone was disappointed that we had shipped 30 points in the first-half, which I can’t ever remember happening before.

“Once you come up with a performance like that, you’ve got to deal with it straightaway, otherwise you can get into a bit of a rut.”

Worsley has won 16 of his England caps off the bench, providing valuable back-up to a revered breakaway trio of Richard Hill, Neil Back and Lawrence Dallaglio.

Back’s post-World Cup retirement from the Test arena though, created an opening, which Worsley’s current form suggests that he is more than capable of taking.

“Obviously, you are over the moon to be selected,” he said.

“But it’s been such a long season that quite a few of us now are like whatever the situation you get chucked into, we say ’sod it, let’s get on with it’.

“That’s the attitude we’ve got. The difference between losing and winning is tiny margins but to make up those little margins is a very difficult job. It’s a huge task, and it will take a huge effort this weekend.”

While England look to save face before heading to Australia and a World Cup final rematch with the Wallabies on Saturday week, New Zealand are sweating on star flanker Richie McCaw’s fitness.

McCaw, arguably the world’s finest openside, has not trained this week after suffering from headaches.

No decision is expected before tomorrow’s captain’s run at Eden Park, but Waikato forward Marty Holah will replace McCaw if he fails to recover in time.

Should 25 times-capped Holah gain promotion off the bench, then Otago’s Craig Newby will provide back-row cover.

Newby’s Otago team-mate Jimmy Cowan, meanwhile, is on stand-by for replacement duty if reserve scrum-half Byron Kelleher fails to shake off a knock.