LONDON (Reuters) -When England famously beat New Zealand in 2003 with 13 men and won in Australia for the first time it gave the squad an unswerving belief that they could beat anybody, and months later they won the World Cup for the first time.

Now, having beaten New Zealand 33-19 on Saturday after three narrow defeats last year and taking their winning run to 10, there is growing belief that they are equipped to make a serious assault on a second World Cup title back in Australia in 2027.