Neil Back, the World Cup-winning flanker, says that England’s leading players need to show more self-belief if they are to stand any chance of beating New Zealand tomorrow.

Much of the criticism this week has been directed at Martin Johnson and his team of coaches, notably from Josh Lewsey, Back’s former England team-mate. But Back believes that Johnson has the right coaching personnel around him and hopes that more of the players perform to their potential this weekend.

“It’s frustrating to watch,” Back, the Leeds Carnegie head coach, said yesterday. “They’ve got some star players within their ranks, but they’ve got to go out there with more belief. They’ve got the right management in place, but they need more of the team to step up. They lack that confidence and belief at the moment, which is inevitable with where they are.”

Given the amount of players England have been denied through injury, Back believes that it would be unfair to expect too much of the present side against the best teams in the world.

“They are where they are at the moment,” he said. “There’s limited experience at Test level, they’re growing as a team and finding it tough. They’re disrupted by a massive round of injuries and, if you had every player available, you wouldn’t pick that same XV to play New Zealand.”

Back is preparing his Leeds team to play Sale Sharks at home in the Guinness Premiership on Sunday, hoping that a second consecutive league victory will lift them off the bottom of the table. Tomorrow, though, he will be watching with interest as England look to improve on their disappointing performances of the past fortnight. The best chance of success against the All Blacks will, he feels, come through an uncomplicated game plan and an emphasis on the set-piece.

“There were too many errors [against Argentina], too many mistakes, most of them unforced,” he said. “So they need to eradicate that, play a basic game plan and get that first win that will create belief. England can compete in the scrum, they’ve got a good lineout and a good, tough defence. The longer they can keep in touch, the more pressure will be heaped on New Zealand. With the guidance of the decision-makers in the team that are vastly experienced, [England] can test anyone.”

Should England fail to beat the All Blacks on Saturday, Johnson will have won only six of his first 14 internationals as team manager. Although Back, after playing 66 internationals for England, knows only too well the pressure for results at the highest level, he urges supporters to be patient in their judgment.

“That win-loss ratio will be killing Johnno and his team,” he said. “But they haven’t had their best players for all those games. Top international teams have got a core of players that have played a lot of games together, and England haven’t got that at the moment. Until we get England’s best players out on the field consistently, you can’t over-judge them.”