Hooker Codie Taylor doesn't need to dig deep to recall the pain of their defeat the last time the All Blacks went head to head with England - back in the semi-finals of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
On the sport's biggest stage, the English flew out of the blocks at Yokohama Stadium to claim an early lead and kept the men in black at arm's length the rest of the contest, closing out a 19-7 win to end the New Zealanders' eight-year reign as world champions.
The scoreline may have flattered the All Blacks that night, such was the comprehensive nature of victory.
"I think we just mentally got outplayed,'' Taylor recalled.
"They came at us, and (we) probably got punched in the face a couple of times and we didn't get out of it."
Three years later, the All Blacks will finally have their chance to at least somewhat pull the ledger back, when they face their old foes at Twickenham on Sunday (NZ time).
Asked if this would be a chance of payback, Taylor offered a swift sidestep.
"As a couple of top-tier nations going at it, you would be lying as a Kiwi if you said you didn't want to play the English and get up," he said. "But that just makes these tests so special and to be a part of them is special again.'
"You never like losing, but this is a new team. There were a few of us who were part of that 2019 side, but there are a lot of us who weren't."
Putting that World Cup aside, the All Blacks have had the wood over their northern rivals in recent years, with nine wins in 10 matches prior to Japan.
They've won their last three against the Roses at their headquarters at Twickenham. The last time they lost a test there was 2012.
"Playing England is tough, a real arm-wrestle," said Taylor. "They're a nation who are really proud about their rugby and so are we.
"Their forward pack really sets up how they want to play and we think it will be much the same this year."
"They've got athletes who pride themselves on momentum. They also show some good innovation and play with good continuity. They've had some success and we just want to get stuck in."
England have struggled to find their best form so far in 2022. They'd lost three consecutive games - against France, Ireland, and Argentina - before last weekend's big win over Japan, and will be more desperate to make a statement against the All Blacks.
The All Blacks have been through some well documented struggles of their own, before showing glimpses of what they're capable of in a crushing 55-23 defeat over Wales.
While they were less convincing in the 31-23 win against Scotland on Monday, their matchday squad will bear much closer resemblance to that which dismantled the Welsh than the makeshift one that took the park at Murrayfield.
"For us it's about building on the progress we've made over the last few weeks," added Taylor.
A win this weekend would hand the All Blacks a seventh straight victory and complete an undefeated northern tour, providing some crucial momentum heading into a World Cup year.
Join us at 6:30am Sunday for live updates of the All Blacks v England test
