Former Springboks head coach Nick Mallett has hit out at what he perceived to be arrogant comments from England great Austin Healey.<\/b><\/p>\n
Healey is far from the most loved ex-player and pundit, and his comments after England\u2019s<\/a> 33-19 victory over the All Blacks clearly irked Mallett<\/a>.<\/p>\n The former utility back was mightily impressed by Steve Borthwick\u2019s side\u2019s win over New Zealand, which marked the 10th successive victory for the men in white.<\/p>\n They now turn their focus to their final game of the Quilter Nations Series and of 2025, against Argentina, which Healey says is a shame as he would have loved to see the side tackle the Springboks<\/a> instead.<\/p>\n Austin Healey\u2019s remarks<\/p>\n He believes that South Africa are clearly the best team in the world and playing against Rassie Erasmus\u2019 men would have given a real indication as to how good this England team really is.<\/p>\n \u201cI know this sounds a little bit contrived, but I know we are playing Argentina next week, and we have played them twice this year, but I so wish we were playing South Africa. Because you want to see how good, how far this England side can be pushed,\u201d Healey said on TNT Sports\u2019 coverage of the fixture in Twickenham.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only way to push yourself is by beating and playing against the best, and at the minute, South Africa are WAY ahead of everyone else. I\u2019d love to know where this England team stands.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked if this was England\u2019s biggest-ever win since Borthwick took over from Eddie Jones ahead of the Rugby World Cup in 2023, Healey said it was \u2018right up there\u2019 before revealing his chat with Will Greenwood before the game.<\/p>\n \u201cWe both thought that England would win, but he said to me, actually, if the All Blacks go into a 10-15 point lead, he didn\u2019t think this England squad didn\u2019t have the cahones, he said, to get back in it. Today has proven that they are a lot more advanced in their development,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can win in different ways; they can win with power, with pace, with playing tight, with playing wide; so having that variety and the ability of knowing when and where to use it, stands them out significantly from where they were 12 months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n England v All Blacks: Five takeaways as Henry Pollock leads \u2018Pom Squad chaos\u2019 in statement win while New Zealand are \u2018toasted\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n