All Blacks great Dan Carter has warned England that the current New Zealand side is better than the World Cup-winning squads he was involved in heading into Sunday's (NZ time) test at Twickenham.
Carter featured in four World Cups for the All Blacks, winning two of them in 2011 and 2015.
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His last game for New Zealand was in the 2015 World Cup final at Twickenham when New Zealand beat Australia 34-17.
Sunday's clash will be the first time since the final that the All Blacks have played in England, and the first time taking on the Red Roses since 2014.
Carter feels the All Blacks' fast-paced game has taken them to greater heights and will trouble England when the two teams face off for the first time since 2014.
"The rugby world has seen what the All Blacks have done since the 2015 World Cup when we had a fantastic campaign in England, but I personally feel they have got stronger," he said at a MasterCard event in Tokyo.
"The speed that they are playing the game in the last couple of years has been a lot faster than other teams.
"But, we don't often get the chance to come up against Northern Hemisphere teams a lot... so this is a great test for the All Blacks, just to see where they are at.
"I just think the speed at which the All Blacks play the game might just be a little bit too much for England to live with them for 80 minutes."
A big reason why the All Blacks have become such an attacking force is because of Carter's successor, Beauden Barrett.
Even though Barrett has had his fair share of criticism, in particular over his goal kicking, Carter has given the 27-year-old a ringing endorsement.
"I think what differentiates him from other 10s around the world is his attacking mindset and just having, not only the skills, but more importantly the speed that he has to create these opportunities," Carter
The opposition can have all the momentum and putting all the pressure on the All Blacks, and then a moment of brilliance from a guy like Beaudy, who is fast enough to get through gaps that not many other players can, can just turn the game."
Less than a year out from the 2019 Rugby World Cup Carter has made a bold prediction that Japan will reach at least the quarter-finals, which would mean a potential match-up against New Zealand.
Japan are in Pool A for the tournament which features Ireland, Scotland, Russia and Samoa.
"They have the team, the players, the coaching staff to cause these upsets. I would love to see them in the quarter-finals, the play-off stages, of the World Cup next year."
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