Meikle: How many visits is this you have made to New Zealand, Rob?
Kitson: This is my 10th trip to Aotearoa — which makes me feel approximately 108 years old. My first time was as a wide-eyed backpacker in the late 1980s, but the rest have been as rugby correspondent for The Guardian and The Observer. I’ve been very lucky — though it would be nice to find out what New Zealand is like in summertime ...
What do you think of our little country at the end of the world? And of course I must ask: do you like Dunedin?
I’ve always enjoyed the land of the long flat white. Kiwis are invariably welcoming and friendly — at least until the game kicks off. And, as a country boy, I particularly relish the passion for the sport in traditional Kiwi farming heartlands like Otago. Dun-Vegas? Great fun off the field and reliably atmospheric, not least at Carisbrook back in the day. Though this remains the only place in the world where I’ve had to go to bed in a woolly hat ...
What Kiwi delicacy will you be eating or drinking? And no, you don't have to say Speight's.
Will they be reading this in London? Definitely not, you say? OK, we’ve had the pleasure of visiting several of your spectacular vineyards and still talk in reverential tones about one particularly epic day during the 2017 Lions tour, kindly arranged by a mate who was working for NZ Winegrowers. Let’s just say we’ve done our best to spread the pinot noir gospel ever since. "Oooh, Cen-traal Otaa-go!" PS: Your coffee’s lovely, too.
All those visits, but would I be right in saying you haven't often got to write about England winning?
Ah, a few gentle full tosses and now the toe-crushing yorker! You’re right, though. Who can forget that wet and windy night in Wellington in 2003? (Everyone in New Zealand. Ed). There was also English involvement in the Lions squad which drew 1-1 in that same 2017 series against the All Blacks. But, yeah, it can be a tough place for touring teams. Which reminds me of that aforementioned backpacking holiday up the west coast of the South Island, where I learned how totally rugby-obsessed some Kiwis can be. One night we popped into a local working men’s club for a beer and on the TV behind the bar they were showing the iconic footage of a lone protester standing in front of Chinese tanks in Tiananmen Square. At which point one of the old boys in front of me nudged his mate and uttered the immortal line: "How d’ya reckon the All Blacks will go this Saturday?" As a nation we can’t compete with that.
England have had some highs and, er, some lows in recent years. What was the low point? And is there a feeling now this is actually a team trending in a nice direction?
Let’s be honest, every country has its ups and downs but, yes, I have seen some truly grim English days. It is barely 10 months since they lost at Twickenham to (a fully deserving) Fiji and 15 months since they shipped 53 points at home to France. And every time we come to New Zealand we are reminded of the 2011 World Cup and all those colourful off-field headlines. So it is my civic duty to inform everyone that England seem to have turned a corner. They have some talented young players, fewer injuries, greater cohesion and a more positive mindset. Which, clearly, means the All Blacks will cruise to another series victory ...
Keep an eye, for starters, on Immanuel Feyi-Waboso on the right wing. He is only 21 and has played just one full season for Exeter in the domestic Premiership, but he has the raw ingredients — pace, deceptive power, attacking instinct — to be a major star. He is also studying to be a doctor, so he has smarts as well. Ben Earl is not the world’s biggest No8 but he is another proper athlete who will be keen to measure himself up against Ardie Savea. And Chandler Cunningham-South, born in England but reared in New Zealand, is a dynamic ball-carrying forward with a big future ahead of him.
Glad to see you were paying attention! No-one who has ever toured here would be foolish enough to write off the All Blacks at home. New Zealand also lose in Auckland about as often as Taylor Swift orders a pint of Speight’s (sorry). But, for once, England have a more settled team, have enjoyed more preparation time and are not facing, among others, Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Aaron Smith, Richie Mo’unga, Will Jordan and Sam Cane. And "Razor" did appear genuinely nervous in Christchurch’s Convention Centre last week. Although, in fairness, live TV can do that to anyone.
OK, prediction time. Give me a score, please.
A drawn series, with England to steal a three-point win under the roof this weekend. Maybe ...
■Around The World In 80 Minutes: In Search of Rugby Greatness by Robert Kitson will be published in paperback next month.
