England can be the team to stop the All Blacks winning a third successive Rugby World Cup, but pressure could weigh them down if they do not get positive results in the autumn internationals.
That is the view of former New Zealand captain Sean Fitzpatrick, who says that while England can be one of the main threats at next year's showpiece event in Japan, it depends how they fare against South Africa, the All Blacks, Japan and Australia next month.
England coach Eddie Jones is due to announce his squad for the Twickenham tests tomorrow.
Jones has faced criticism this year after his side lost five test matches out of eight, including two defeats in South Africa and a disappointing Six Nations campaign.
But Fitzpatrick does have sympathy for 58‑year‑old Australian, who initially took an England side who went out in the pool stage of the 2015 World Cup on home soil on an 18‑game winning run.
Meanwhile, the All Blacks will face the Wallabies at 6pm next Saturday in their final Bledisloe Cup Test in Japan.
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