Scott Robertson says New Zealand’s clash with England at Twickenham is exactly the kind of occasion that fuels his passion for coaching, and one that could seal a slice of rugby history.

The All Blacks are two wins away from completing a northern hemisphere ‘grand slam’, having already claimed victories over Ireland in Chicago and Scotland in Edinburgh this month. A win at Twickenham on Saturday, followed by success against Wales in Cardiff next week, would mean Robertson’s side had beaten all four Home Nations on one tour – a feat last achieved by New Zealand in 2010.

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“It’s at the so-called ‘home of rugby’ (Twickenham), with a full house and an expectant English team,” Robertson told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast. “We want a grand slam. They want to take our scalp. How good is footy?

“This is why I’m doing the job and that’s where the enjoyment starts. There’s a fine balance – you feel like you are never satisfied, but you love it.”

England are on a nine-Test winning streak after seeing off Australia and Fiji, but history favours the visitors. The All Blacks haven’t lost to England since the 2019 World Cup semi-final in Japan, and their last defeat at Twickenham came back in 2012.

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Robertson, who took over as head coach following last year’s World Cup, believes his team is only beginning to hit its stride after a period of transition that has seen 20 debutants introduced over the past two seasons.

“We’ve had some great results and fought back from some great adversity,” he said. “We’ve played some really good footy and exposed a lot of new players.

We’ve got a lot of guys who have stepped up, and we feel we’ve built a really strong foundation.”

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