Julian Savea terrorised England this summer and, according to former All Blacks coach Laurie Mains, he will head to the reverse fixture a better player than Jonah Lomu.
Savea has racked up 27 tries in 29 Tests for New Zealand – four in two when Stuart Lancaster’s side visited the All Blacks in June – and represents one of Steve Hansen’s chief weapons this autumn.
New Zealand, who will host the British & Irish Lions in 2017, face clashes with USA, England, Scotland and Wales next month.
And less than a year out from the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Mains – who coached All Blacks legend Lomu during his tenure – expects the 24-year-old flyer to show his worth once more.
“The All Blacks have a better winger now in Julian Savea. Savea is the more complete footballer,” said Mains.
“While he possesses pace and power, he is much stronger on defence than Lomu ever was and goes looking for work.
“However, one of the great rugby tragedies is that when Jonah should have been hitting his peak, he was struck down with a kidney disease. Who knows how good he may have been?”
