England v New Zealand

 Sitiveni Sivivatu is about as difficult to get hold of as his name is to say. Brad Thorn on the other hand has a very ordinary name. Unfortunately, he is also a lummox to bring down. Their names represent who they are as rugby players and highlight the issues England have to deal with this afternoon. New Zealand are comfortable with their image and their style, with who they are and who they're trying to be. They don't play an all-court game. There is no touch and pass for this lot. They don't try to set the world on fire by running everything. They just do simple things very well. They kick the leather off the ball in their own half, they defend extremely aggressively and they wait. Then they wait. And when it looks like they can't wait any more, you guessed it, they wait. Finally, after what seems like an age, when the moment suddenly presents itself, they are gone faster than you can say the eight syllables in Sitiveni Sivivatu's name.I have never seen an All Blacks team make as many mistakes as they have this season. Smashed by South African power in Bloemfontein in July, they were beset by line-out errors throughout the Tri-Nations. There was poor handling all over the shop; even the great Richie McCaw had the yips at one stage. In Durban in August the only thing you could write about the All Blacks was "so bad". Since then, Dan Carter has returned and steadied the ship. They won at the back end of August despite their bad handling and execution, but were again beaten at home by the Boks, when they couldn't win a line-out for love nor money.Even so, panic buttons have not been pushed and some new faces have bedded themselves into the side.Worryingly for England, the All Blacks are starting to roll. The front-on charge comes from a hugely influential former rugby league man known by his so-tough-it-must-be-fake moniker, Brad Thorn. At one stage he was a poor man's Bakkies Botha. No more; the improvement has been vast. He makes heavy carries, and puts in big tackles out in the wide channels.There are still questions about Thorn's ability to dominate a line-out but no doubting his ability to hit a ruck. He is ferocious. His role suit him. He is told to play the game as he sees it – hard, edgy, occasionally clumsy, but with the idea that he is a second row there to smash people, carry hard and make an impact.He is at the heart of the combative and effective close quarter work the All Blacks now have up their sleeve. Andrew Hore is feeling more comfortable in the No 2 jersey, while McCaw has added some weight to his teak tough frame. His legs may not be as fast now but his brain and his fire are sharper and fiercer than ever.He is also a better link man now and was the hands for Sivivatu's try in Tokyo, being involved three times. And yet for all his skills and his team-mates' muscle, there is only one All Black who is really frightning. That man is Sivivatu.There is no one better at attacking rugby in the world at the moment. He is a player you have to mark defensively even when you have the ball. He is a floater. He meanders around in the back field, a predator looking for the weak link, the half gap, the slow cover on the inside shoulder, the wounded player in the back line.Sivivatu can come straight through the middle as well because he is so powerfully built he brushes off tackles with ease unless they are perfect. He has no issue with being destructive around the ruck and can mix it with the big men.As part of a first phase move he is so dangerous. He will find half gaps if someone has run a decent decoy through the midfield. So often you see fly-halves and centres on the dive at his feet as he coasts off a Carter inside ball or plays off a Ma'a Nonu offload. He has seen you plant your feet or stick your bum in the wrong direction, and instinctively knows you're done for. Coupled to this is the pace of a genuine flier in the wide channels. He can skin you on the outside or do you with his clever footwork on the inside. In a poor season for New Zealand, Sivivatu has consistently hit the heights. England need to be very wary of turning ball over because he will find the weakness in any defensive scramble. When England have the ball, they must keep him in sight. Someone needs to be on him, talking and watching. Switch off for a second, lose him, and he will tie up your whole team, not just your tongue, in knots.