Wynne Gray: England ready to put resolve to the test

Sport needs its heroes and villains and England was a perfect fit for that second category.

Our stuffy former masters who loved to parade rugby's origins and staunchly ruled the game were a natural target for the All Blacks and their supporters. Who else? The Wallabies and Springboks were natural rivals but we understood their spirit. The Poms could carouse with the best but when it came to playing with the pig's bladder, they were swill rather than the roast and trimmings. That always gave us earthy Antipodeans an extra level of satisfaction.

Fear and loathing with England? Never both, just the latter, until Stuart Lancaster took over a couple of years ago.

In the past 20 tests between the nations, England managed three wins and a stalemate with the All Blacks.

With every All Black victory since they were tipped up in 2003 in foul weather in Wellington, there was an extra whiff of satisfaction. A decade of dominance swelled until Lancaster's crew unleashed a brilliant winning onslaught two years ago.

It was impressive and Lancaster has been equally so in directing the side.

There have been few of the unusual quirks which accompanied the coaching stints of Geoff Cooke, Jack Rowell, Clive Woodward, Andy Robinson, Brian Ashton, Rob Andrew and Martin Johnson.

Lancaster has got in and got on with it. He brings a work ethic which is mandatory for international coaches, has dossiers and details coming out his ying-yang and is always on the hunt to improve his squad.

He has canvassed people all over Great Britain and Ireland, he has tripped around the rugby lairs in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa gleaning more information about bringing England up to speed.

When he led England here in June, they were on a multi-layered mission.

They came to learn and to beat the All Blacks in their own backyard. They immersed themselves trying to finish their season with a result and while they showed strong patches, they could not clinch that deal.

We warmed to England like never before. Lancaster, Andy Farrell, Graham Rowntree, Mike Catt and the staff were generous company, the players followed that lead, we liked the way they played and New Zealand appreciated their involvement.

A year shy of hosting the World Cup, the reconstituted England are still the enemy in their own lair and desperate to reverse the four-test losing streak and get a bit of 2012 back into Twickenham.

The All Blacks carry a similar resolve to keep England on edge about their ability to foot it with the best.

After all the fluff and nonsense from Soldier Field, this will be a real test.