England powerhouse Maro Itoje says his team’s apparent physical dominance over the All Blacks wasn’t as comprehensive as it appeared to those in the stands or watching on TV.
England’s forward pack dominated their All Blacks' rivals, laying the platform for England’s first win over the All Blacks’ at a Rugby World Cup but Itoje said that dominance wasn’t easily claimed.
“It was a tough game, I always think when you watch a game from the stands or on TV, you don't realise how physical it is,” he said.
“They didn't sit still, they attacked us, on the whole, I’m pretty happy with the defensive effort we put out there.”
Owen Farrell’s team became the first England side to beat the All Blacks at a Rugby World Cup with the 19-7 win in the semi-final. (Source: Other)
England great Lawrence Dallaglio said the historic win over the All Blacks mean the current England side had already eclipsed the World Cup-winning team of 2003 that he was a key part of.
"That was as good as a performance as I’ve seen from any England side, if you look at the quality of the opponent, the stakes,” he said.
“That (last night’s performance) probably eclipsed what we did, I was 31 when we won the World Cup, we had a lot of guys who were very, very experienced.”
That was a claim that Itoje completely disagreed with.
“I don't think we have (eclipsed the '03 side) to be honest. They're a great team they won the World Cup, we aspire to do the same as them.”
“The 2003 World Cup will always be the first English side to do it, I have a lot of respect for those guys.”
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