England v New Zealand: Stuart Lancaster's side must beat the All Blacks if they want to win World Cup It is true, but the pressure of a home World Cup is very different from that of one contested many miles way, as was the Wilkinson-inspired triumph in 2003. It is also forgetting that, despite an almost religious devotion to bettering them, England lost 3-0 to New Zealand last summer and that their opponents appear to have reached new heights since then. "They have not moved down a level, that's for sure," laughs Lancaster. I think they have moved up a level. They have a very simple formula in the way they play the game. What has been impressive is that they have had injuries and changes, but, even when they bring in players of less experience, they still maintain their performance levels. It took an exceptional performance by South Africa playing out of their skins with the last kick of the game to beat them. Since we last played New Zealand, very few of their performances have been below top international level. They have been excellent. So how on earth are England going to beat them? "You have to get consistency of performance for the full 80," says Lancaster. In the first Test out there (which England lost 20-15) we probably deserved to draw but they got the try at the end. We had opportunities in the first half of the second Test (that was lost 28-27) to score more points without doubt. We need to make sure we maximise our opportunities and play for the full 80. We are not sitting here thinking we are a million miles away. Indeed these are valid points. Watch a re-run of last summer's final Test and you will find that, while the scoreline says England were hammered 36-13, the narrative of the game was very different. Yes, England's defence was woeful in the first half - Kyle Eastmond was singled out, perhaps harshly, at the time but many others were culpable too - but they had a host of chances early in the second half that they missed. They could so easily have been back in the game. It has become a cliche to bemoan England's attacking game when, in fact, they have scored 18 tries in eight Tests this year. Inaccuracy and meandering minds are the problems, not a lack of cutting edge or injuries. So it is only natural that England will this week revisit their 38-21 victory at Twickenham in 2012. "There were certain key things we did well when beating them two years ago that helped us get the performance," says Lancaster. We were exceptional at the breakdown and that made a big difference during the game. We defended differently and perhaps caught them a little bit. They are smart enough to work out how to counteract that and adapt and change and we need to adapt and change. We will look at that game to take examples of the areas we think we can exploit and those where we think we need to be wary. But it is not just that game. You take bits from everything. A personal worry is that for every step forward England are taking - and they are improving - New Zealand are taking one forward themselves. "When you look at international sport in general, whether it is football, cricket, rugby or whatever, they are right up there as one of the best," admits Lancaster. What has been most impressive about the All Blacks is that since winning the World Cup they have kept on winning. It is a phenomenal record. Having said that, while we respect them, we have to make sure we create our own belief that we can do that. We have got belief in the players and their belief has not been dented by the summer tour. Has it not? We will discover on Saturday, because it is all in the mind now. Back in June, England should have been targeting a 2-2 draw from their four-Test mini-series against the All Blacks. That obviously cannot happen now, but they simply have to make it 3-1. If not, then that piece a year from now is unlikely to be analysing an England victory.