TEST MATCH / New Zealand v England: Even victory over New Zealand tomorrow will not wholly satisfy England's rugby men whose destiny will be shaped by what they do in November rather than in June.

Martin Johnson and his players would all swap defeat in the circular drum-shaped Westpac Stadium for the privilege of hoisting the World Cup this autumn and every All Black feels the same way.

Nevertheless, of all the challenges in the world a Test victory in New Zealand is still history's most reliable barometer of rugby ability and no England team has managed it in 30 years.

World Cup winners' medals apart, it is also the only missing entry on the England captain Johnson's staggering CV.

At the age of 33 he has been there and done it so often he stopped collecting the T-shirts long ago: the only player to captain the Lions twice, 74 England caps, two grand slams, every conceivable domestic and European club honour and an OBE.

It is not his fault that, crazily, England have not toured New Zealand with a full side since 1985. But, with his twilight rugby years approaching, this is his last hurrah.

Considering neither Will Carling nor Rory Underwood ever represented their country in New Zealand, the fixture gains further resonance.

But what irritates Johnson even more than another raft of press inquiries about his time playing for New Zealand Colts more than a decade ago, is the hosts' negative views of English rugby.

Ever since the English arrived the talk has been of "forward-dominated" England and the superiority of the All Black backs, and Johnson, along with Lawrence Dallaglio and the other senior players, has had enough.

"They have old-fashioned perceptions of our game. They still think we play on muddy pitches in a forward-dominated game all year round when, in fact, it is very different.

"Go and tell Jonny Wilkinson or Jason Robinson or Ben Cohen or Mike Tindall that we haven't got any backs.

"New Zealand have got a tremendously exciting backline and a hell of a lot of depth, but we intend to use our backs just as they intend to use their forwards.

"We've got to go out and play the game we feel is right for the occasion, the opposition and the conditions."

Which is precisely what England did in rainy New Plymouth against the Maori on Monday, when their forwards took the game by the scruff in the first half and never let go.

Yet, as Clive Woodward pithily explained this week, "You never beat the All Blacks, you just score more points than them", and observations that England were fortunate to win 31-28 at Twickenham last November after conceding four high-speed tries have further irked Johnson.

"They may be even faster this time with Doug Howlett at full back but it's not about luck," retorts the captain. "They scored four tries, but we managed to beat them on the scoreboard which is what it's all about."

The same computer which ranks England number one in the world also predicts New Zealand will win by four points, but Johnson is unimpressed.

"The computer doesn't play the game, does it? The All Blacks have a certain mystique, but it's the old cliché - the game will be played on the pitch on Saturday."

Even so, Johnson's exhortation that "we're going to have to play one of our best games ever to win" ignores one major English advantage.

Woodward's side may not be at their freshest, but they are in a discernible groove, whereas New Zealand are fielding a radically reshaped side which has not had a solitary warm-up match.

While 14 of John Mitchell's starting XV play their Super 12 rugby for Canterbury, Auckland or Wellington, it is easy to see them taking a while to settle.

"Traditionally, both sides take a while to get going, so the team which gets into its stride quickest will be the side which comes out on top," added Dallaglio.

Among those equipped to challenge this theory is the gifted Carlos Spencer but in the absence of Jonah Lomu, whose kidney problems look like ending his career, this is England's chance to demonstrate that defence is still the best form of attack.

If Johnson and Co can emerge with even a one-point win, the World Cup will not come around quickly enough for the English.

Guardian Service