World champions New Zealand secured a clean sweep over England in June but Red Rose scrum-half Danny Care insists his side can bridge the gulf in time for next year’s World Cup.
Stuart Lancaster’s men travelled to the Land of the Long White Cloud in fine form as, despite finishing runners-up to Ireland at the 2014 RBS 6 Nations, they had lost just once to France. An agonising 20-15 defeat in the first Test promised much but the All Blacks went on to win all three games – and sent England back to the drawing board. However, New Zealand will travel to Twickenham in November and Care believes England will reach another level before hosting the World Cup in 2015. “Results-wise the tour wasn’t successful. We lost three out of three games and that’s not good enough,” said Care. “But we play them again in the autumn and we’re on the right track. “They’re where we’re aiming to get to and we have 12 games before the World Cup in which to get better. “The younger lads are getting more experienced and this is an incredibly exciting time for us. “In 12 months’ time we will not be far away from New Zealand. “This autumn we have four tough games that will give us a really good indication of where we’re at.” Visit our official RBS 6 Nations Instagram page to follow all the best images from the Championship
