Dallaglio ready to challenge All Blacks 'myth'

Lawrence Dallaglio admits the fabled All Blacks jersey still inspires awe in many of the Lions touring party.

The cream of British and Irish rugby have clinched just one Test series victory in 10 trips to New Zealand, and Dallaglio knows better than most what it takes to beat the Kiwis.

He has locked horns with the All Blacks on seven occasions, helping England register two victories and a draw before bringing down the curtain on his time with the world champions last summer.

The 32-year-old number eight helped England end their 30-year wait for a Test victory on Kiwi soil, with Martin Johnson’s men securing a famous 15-13 victory in Wellington before going on to win the World Cup.

Of the current Lions, only a section of the English contingent have finished on the winning side against New Zealand, so Dallaglio understands the psychological edge the All Blacks will hold.

“Fixtures against New Zealand seem to have been held back. I played once in New Zealand before the World Cup and only three times in New Zealand overall for England, whereas I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve played in Australia and South Africa,” he said.

“I think for that reason there is this myth for a lot of people about playing against the All Blacks. But if you speak to an Australian counterpart, they just don’t have that myth.

“The Australians respect the All Blacks, as we all do. But because of that familiarity and regular contact it’s very different to the way a Home Nation or the Lions view playing New Zealand in their back yard.

“History is against us. No-one is under any illusions as to the challenge we face. It’s not as if we haven’t sent really good players over there in past Lions tours.

“Some of the best players this part of the world has ever produced have gone down there and not won.

“That shows you how difficult it is. We have a 10% success rate in terms of Lions Test victories. I went there as part of the England team in 2003 and we won but we hadn’t done that for 30 years. It’s a tough place to tour.”

Current All Black coach Graham Henry was in charge for the failed 2001 Lions tour to Australia and his methods came under heavy scrutiny with players complaining that they were being overworked.

Clive Woodward is unlikely to be criticised on similar grounds thanks to the size of his squad – 45 players have travelled to New Zealand – and Dallaglio feels the mastermind of England’s World Cup success has got the numbers right.

“It’s not for me to criticise what happened in 2001. Little things didn’t go our way. For all the criticism, we were one pass away from winning the Test series,” he said.

“It’s a fine line between failure and success and if we had won what was a very winnable series everyone would have been talking in glowing terms about the 2001 Lions.

“We weren’t helped by injuries and people are taking issue with the fact that we have a very large squad this time.

“But Clive is making sure this time around that we have everything at our disposal to try and beat the All Blacks, which in itself will be incredibly difficult.”