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Ben and Phil: Men on a mission

Pele had it, so too did George Best. Barry John had it, but couldn't deal with it. Dan Carter has inherited it from all of them. To be brutally honest, the score-line did flatter England.

Quotes of the week

New Zealand v England
Second Test, Saturday 21st June
8am, Sky Sports Xtra

Sky Sports News' Phil Edwards is with the England camp for their tour of New Zealand and he'll be bringing you the inside scoop in his skysports.com tour diary.

Poor performance

Looking down from 32,000 feet, the snow-dusted peaks of the mountains of the south island stretched away as far as the eye could see.

In the serene calm of the stratosphere, there was plenty of time, on the flight from Auckland to Christchurch, to look back on the first test at Eden Park. Let's be honest, it was not a great collective performance.

The build-up had gone well, training sessions had come and gone, and key areas of the game had been identified. But when push came to shove it was clear that as a team, they had fallen way short of expectations.

I'm talking, of course, about the press contingent following England. Most of us thought the red rose army would have an edge come scrum time, but might struggle in the line-outs.

As it happens, the likes of Andy Sheridan and Matt Stevens were given a torrid time of it, whereas All Blacks hooker Andrew Hore couldn't hit a cow's you-know-what with a double bass.

Sheridan blow

As you'll know by now, Sheridan is out of the running for next Saturday with a bad cut to his eye. The poor bloke doesn't have much luck in these parts.

On the Lions tour three years ago, he was yellow-carded in Hamilton and not seen again after trying to knock Luke McAlister clean out of the ground and in to the high street during the match against the New Zealand Maoris.

This time he was a victim of "friendly fire" after accidentally head-butting one of his colleague's studs. Tim Payne is almost certain to deputise at loose head.

Can anyone touch Carter?

In Saturday's first Test, Dan Carter, on the front foot, was back to something approaching his best. Yours truly stood and applauded his outstanding display against the Lions in Wellington three years ago, and I thought he wasn't far off scaling those dizzy heights once again on Saturday.

All the great players seem to have time and space when they're in the spotlight. The world sometimes seems to turn more slowly on its axis when they receive the ball. Pele had it, so too did George Best. Barry John had it, but couldn't deal with it. Dan Carter has inherited it from all of them. To be brutally honest, the score-line did flatter England.

Inevitably, fingers have been pointed at Charlie Hodgson. In key moments, Ma'a Nonu brushed aside his attempt at a tackle, threw a sublime pass to Mills Muliaina, and another seven pointer was in the bag.

Call in the cavalry

It seemed to sum up the match. England's forwards have always been competitive and they were at Eden Park. The backs, however, were unable to deal with the size and sheer athleticism of some of New Zealand's three-quarters. I expect England to beef up the midfield for the second test, but this might be seen as digging trenches and manning the barricades instead of attempting a cavalry charge. I would prefer the latter.

Anyhow, we're all in the same hotel in Christchurch now as the build-up to the second Test gets underway. At breakfast this morning, the guys looked reasonably upbeat. Not many outside observers would put their mortgages on England squaring the series, but if Rob Andrew's team can do what Wales did in South Africa, and come back with a significantly improved performance a week after a sound drubbing, then they'll have something positive to build on going into the autumn internationals.

Taking one for the team

On a lighter note it's emerged that one of our number, Alex Lowe of the Press Association (one of the hardest-working scribblers on the tour) is tying the knot with his fiancé Liz as soon as he gets back. It was decided that the rest of us should organise some sort of stag night for him while we're out here.

Quick as a flash, my cameraman Ben volunteered to do an extensive recce of the various appropriate nightspots in the city, leaving no stone unturned. It was such a wonderful and generous offer on his part that I think it's only fair that I go with him to give him a hand.

It's all about sticking together as a team and seeing the job through. Something England will be hoping to do as the second test draws ever nearer.

Phil's team for the second Test:15 Matt Tait, 14 Topsy Ojo, 13 Jamie Noon, 12 Toby Flood, 11 Dave Strettle, 10 Olly Barkley, 9 Danny Care, 1 Tim Payne, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Matt Stevens, 4 Tom Palmer, 5 Steve Borthwick (c), 6 James Haskell, 7 Tom Rees, 8 Luke Narraway.