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Corry keen on All Blacks test

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Martin Corry will lead out England at the new-look 82,000-seater Twickenham Stadium this afternoon convinced that New Zealand are beatable. Corry, who captains England once again having been rested for the summer tour Down Under, is more than up for the challenge.

"We feel that, despite recent results, this All Black team is beatable," England captain Corry said ahead of the opening Investec Challenge match of the season. "This time last year we should have defeated them at Twickenham and the core of our squad remains the same.

"The most important thing is to take the game to them. There has to be a huge amount of physicality and aggression because so much depends upon getting on the front foot. Passive teams never beat the All Blacks."

Corry, who wears the No.6 shirt in his 46th appearance for England, is joined in the England back row by Leicester colleague Lewis Moody, while fellow Tigers forwards Ben Kay, Julian White and George Chuter will also have vital roles to play in the loose and at set-pieces. Clubmate Andy Goode supplies fly-half back-up on the bench.

Moody has been identified as one of the game's key men as he takes his good form into a head-to-head confrontation with All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw, while Kay lines up opposite Chris Jack, recognised as possibly the finest lock in world rugby today.

"We need to show we have turned a corner with the World Cup only 10 months away," added Corry. "If we want to show we can beat the best sides in the world consistently, we need to start now."

England (versus New Zealand, Sunday November 5, kick-off 3.30pm)

15 Iain Balshaw (Gloucester)
14 Paul Sackey (London Wasps)
13 Jamie Noon (Newcastle Falcons)
12 Anthony Allen (Gloucester)
11 Ben Cohen (Northampton Saints)
10 Charlie Hodgson (Sale Sharks, vice-captain)
9 Shaun Perry (Bristol, vice-captain)

1 Andrew Sheridan (Sale Sharks)
2 George Chuter (Leicester Tigers)
3 Julian White (Leicester Tigers)
4 Danny Grewcock (Bath)
5 Ben Kay (Leicester Tigers)
6 Martin Corry (Leicester Tigers, captain)
7 Lewis Moody (Leicester Tigers)
8 Pat Sanderson (Worcester Warriors)

 

Replacements

16 Lee Mears (Bath)
17 Stuart Turner (Sale Sharks)
18 Chris Jones (Sale Sharks)
19 Magnus Lund (Sale Sharks)
20 Peter Richards (Gloucester)
21 Andy Goode (Leicester Tigers)
22 Mark Van Gisbergen (London Wasps)