Since England went on a not-so-merry adventure down under to Australia earlier this summer, the changes made in the RFU's wide ranging performance review have been completed and are starting to bed in.

At the beginning of the summer, the RFU removed Joe Lydon, Phil Larder and Dave Alred -- who were attack, defense and kicking coaches respectively -- and replaced them with an all new setup of Brian Ashton, Mike Ford, and a new forwards coach in the form of John Wells. All three are under head coach Andy Robinson.

In addition, a new role of Director of Elite Rugby was created to oversee management of the national squad and other aspects outside of immediate training and match day management.

For this, former England international and head coach of English Premiership side Newcastle Falcons, Rob Andrew, was selected after an exhaustive search that spanned the globe in a series of interviews, which included names such as Springbok coach Jake White and former England coach Sir Clive Woodward.

Andrew wasn't confirmed in his post until after the young side that was sent to Australia returned home after their bloody baptism of fire. While this was the first serious test for many of the side's young players like Matthew Tait and Tom Varndell, there was an air of optimism, that despite them losing badly in both matches that any experience was good experience.

Since then, the new coaches and the director have knuckled down with the existing head coach. There were (and in fact still are) worries that the coaching team might not gel properly. As coach of Newcastle, Andrew made no secret of his fury at how the RFU and Robinson handled the fiasco that was Tait's debut against Wales in the 2005 Six nations. However, on face value Robinson and Andrew have put aside their differences and have worked together so far. Maybe the neutral influences of Messrs Ashton, Ford and Wells might have calmed the waters somewhat.

The period between May of this year and now has been one of disappointment for English Rugby. Its young guns put in their place by the Australians down under and it's second-string side -- the Saxons -- unexpectedly losing in the North American Churchill Cup competition. While many of England's big name stars were rested during the summer, a good many were unlucky enough to pick up niggling little injuries which while were nothing major, still put them out of contention for the autumn internationals. Yet another comeback for World Cup hero Johnny Wilkinson was cut short when he suffered another injury.

And to add insult to injury Robinson and Andrew's employers at the RFU recently resolved a raging row between them and the premiership clubs over player availability for England's Autumn Internationals. Usually there are just three test matches, but as this coincided with the RFU completing a newly rebuilt south stand at Twickenham stadium, a fourth has been added on, and the current world leaders in rampaging and expansive rugby have been invited. New Zealand will fly over to take on England.

England is low on talent due to an unprecedented injury crisis and are in the process of experimenting with a new coaching setup. But this doesn't mean that they are out for the count. Step forth new caps Shaun Perry, Anthony Allen and Paul Sackey: the new generation to take England forward.

Around three years ago, Perry (26, scrum half) was a welder and worked in his beloved Birmingham for a fair wage. He also loved rugby and played in the midlands league one part time. When asked by Division one side Coventry whether he would like to play full time he decided to step up. Three years after he started to play full time and he is now considered one of the best scrum halves in English rugby, playing for Premiership leaders Bristol. Renown for lightning quick ball and accurate passing as well as showing inventive thinking and quick initiative, Perry is considered one of the few shining lights of English rugby.

A similar story for Allen. Only 20 years of age and his rise from amateur to first choice for the national side could not have been any more sudden. Playing for Gloucester, Allen is part of a flood of new, young talent from the West Country side such as Olly Morgan, Ryan Lamb and Jamie Forrester. The young centre has shown form and maturity beyond his years, impressing older and more experienced counterpart Brian O'Driscoll after Glouscester's loss to Leinster in the Heiniken Cup recently.

Sackey, however, has had to work very hard for his place in the England starting 15. Starting out first at division one side Bedford before joining first London Irish and then London Wasps, Sackey has had a blistering start to the season and is only one of four players to score a half century of tries in the premiership. With Sale's Mark Cueto out because of injury, Sackey was seen as the next logical choice. On top of his regular training with Wasps and England, Sackey also pays out of his own pocket for extra running training.

The important thing to emphasis here is that England is definitely the underdogs in this contest. England are currently ranked 6th in the world while New Zealand are the number one team to beat.

The All Blacks have a pool of talent almost overflowing. Head coach Grahame Henry with the help of sub-coach Steve Hansen have made sure that every possible player has had their chance to play in the coveted black shirt through sweeping changes to the match day fifteen after each match. Many have likened it to a magic roundabout with a completely different team starting each match.

This however shows the tremendous depth in talent that New Zealand currently has and for Henry, this is rare luxury for any side in the world and one that he has exploited to the full. As of summer 2007, Henry and Hansen will have a complete picture of how well every possible player handles the pressures and rigors of international rugby and can as a result pick with confidence. It is a strategy he is continuing this weekend. In place of star fly half Dan Carter, he is giving the nod to Nick Evans for example.

Both teams have very talented players but as New Zealand will always come into this match favorites, they'll have the edge over England. Regardless of who has the edge though, these clashes between England and New Zealand are always going to be tough and brutal. The last time these two met was at Twickenham in the autumn of 2005. A close and very physical match, in which New Zealand edged in front and where England's lack of imagination in most areas outside of the scrum and the line out were exposed.

This time around lessons have been learnt by both sides. New Zealand knows that indiscipline through frustration due to lack of ball will make the job of winning harder. New Zealand is a far more disciplined and focused machine than they were 12 months ago. Also one lesson that hasn't been learned is that lack of domination at the line out can make things much harder too. New Zealand has deservedly won all of the matches in their current winning streak, but if they could have better co-ordination at the line out, things could be so much easier for them.

England, meanwhile, knows that the vital area will be at the tackle. New Zealand is the very best at getting turnover ball and England, since 2003, has been notorious for the slow way that they arrive at the tackle area. This fault has been cruelly exposed by both New Zealand and Australia, as many of their tries scored against England since the World Cup have been from the direct result of turnovers. For England to compete effectively, England must address the problem of ball turnover.

On the good side, England has managed to address problems that have dogged their line out in the past few years, and, as always, their front row is undeniably the dream front row of rugby with Sheridan, Chuter and White ready to cause chaos at the scrum.

On the bright side for New Zealand, they can confidently dominate using their fast, powerful and agile wingers and centres. The advantage of experience will also tell against the likes of Allen who have only just come to the table.

In all, a victory for New Zealand is definitely in the cards. However, it will be interesting to see by how much the margin of victory will be. It will be a verdict on both England's progress towards rebuilding in time for the next World Cup in 2007 and if New Zealand hase become the polished final article.