England prop Mako Vunipola believes his side are genuine World Cup contenders and they are closing the gap on the All Blacks.
“The gap is closing with New Zealand, but it’s not just about them, you can see how every game internationally between the big teams is a proper contest.
“That’s what you want. New Zealand are still World Cup favourites because they still have that experience of being number one and they’re still the team to chase, but England competed well and you can see how Ireland have consistently challenged them.
READ MORE:
-
Rugby’s Christmas cracker jokes
-
DOS AND DON’TS for rugby players at Christmas
-
Five rugby players with unusual talents
-
Christmas-themed rugby XV
-
The talented wags of the England team
“Ireland have beaten New Zealand twice in the last couple of years and shown that they are human.
“Although it’s still a very big task, England proved they can go toe-to-toe with them as well and we can improve again between now and the World Cup,” he told The Rugby Paper.