Recalled flanker Michael Lipman insists he can help provide the on-pitch leadership which England have been lacking.
Bath skipper not intimidated by All Blacks
Recalled flanker Michael Lipman insists he can help provide the on-pitch leadership against New Zealand on Saturday which England have been lacking.
The Bath captain believes manager Martin Johnson turned to him after recognising that a lack of on-field direction led to England's record 42-6 defeat to South Africa last weekend.
Lipman said: "Leadership is very important to have in a team. It is one of the reasons I have been included. I think (skipper) Steve (Borthwick) may have been by himself out there on the field against South Africa.
"You need voices, you need people to direct, work out what is going wrong and put things right on the spot. I am one of the guys that can do that.
"I am not sure how well we coped with South Africa's rush defence. We knew they were coming and we didn't adapt to it the way we wanted.
"That is the issue of dealing with things right there and then on the field. It was a little bit too quiet and we let it happen rather than acting upon it.
"I played with Steve for a long time at Bath. We know each other very well and I will look to help him every way I can and make his job a lot easier."
Mystique
Lipman does not buy into the mystique that surrounds the All Blacks, who arrive at Twickenham chasing victory to seal an historic third Grand Slam tour.
He insisted: "I am not intimidated by anyone. I think New Zealand deserve the respect they have built up. A lot of teams can be beaten before even going out on the field. I am not having any of that.
"You have to play New Zealand at their own game, get your defence sorted and not be in the slightest bit intimidated by the black jersey.
"If you sit back and wait for them to do something and then react, you will lose every time. If you dictate the tempo and set the standards, you are more than in with a chance.
"They will be a formidable team to beat - but on our day I believe we can beat them."
