Sean Fitzpatrick: British must learn from us if they want to compete

What a difference a year makes. Twelve months on, the All Blacks are set to make another trip to the UK but in a wholly different environment. A year ago, for the 2004 All Black tour, the British were pretty confident about hosting the All Blacks and bullish about the prospects of the Lions. All changed now, hasn't it?

In that intervening 12 months, the All Blacks have done what they had to do. They've had a good, hard look at their tight five. They have beefed up their competition at the ruck and maul and have continued to play the expansive game.

Meanwhile, the British teams have not really recovered from the setback of the Lions. England are probably the worst affected. That's not to say they won't be dangerous opposition. But they have some major problems to confront.

Their clubs are battling the rugby union for control of the players and this is no mere spat - it's a full-on, emotional tug of war. There are question marks about England coach Andy Robinson. But the biggest problem for the British and Irish sides is a structural one. They can compete at set piece and the forward exchanges. But they cannot yet play the expansive game.

They are talking about playing that game, as they saw from the All Blacks last year, but are nowhere near it yet. They will find the players to play it - they have 650,000 to draw from, after all - a scary thought.

But lock Ben Kay said something interesting recently. He pointed out that the next Lions tour had to come together earlier; to get the coaching started a long way beforehand and not wait until they were on tour. He said they were most definitely not the best-prepared team ever, as Sir Clive Woodward initially stated.

That's where I'm coming from - the All Blacks and New Zealand rugby are 'together' a long way ahead of any tour or series.

The All Black selectors and the NPC and Super 14 coaches are all ploughing the same furrow, working together for the betterment of New Zealand rugby. You can't say that up here.

I thought the English and others were right to criticise the old All Blacks for being "arrogant" and for not looking outside the square to improve their game; that the New Zealand way was not always the only way.

Fair enough. But the All Blacks did that, didn't they? They got Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith - all coaches with overseas experience - back to sort things out. Now I think the boot's on the other foot. The northeners now need to have a look at their game; to take a few things on board from New Zealand's neck of the woods - like how you manage a rugby environment for the good of the national team.

They might have the best rugby competition in the world but that doesn't look so flash if the national sides aren't winning.

Wales will not be easy - they are still on a high from the Six Nations - but they have got injuries (why they didn't get Gethin Jenkins' surgery done earlier is beyond me and maybe an illustration of the club vs country thing but one of the best loosehead props in the world won't be fit to face the All Blacks). Players like Gavin Henson now have to show they can do it on the field as well as in a book.

For me, the real threat will be the Irish. They got a shock at the hands of the French last year and then the Lions and have been hurting. They've been holed up at home and will be dangerous customers by the time the All Blacks get there.

Finally, I'm not expecting too many surprises in the All Black party announced today - although I must say I've enjoyed the play of Otago halfback Chris Smylie, who's been running and passing strongly. And Otago lock Tom Donnelly was superb against Chris Jack.