Woodward has promised not to over-react following England’s 36-3 drubbing in Dunedin, when the world champions suffered their heaviest defeat for six years.

But the axe looks certain to fall, both up front and behind the scrum, as England find themselves facing a huge test of character.

“Inevitably there will be changes, because you cannot lose by that many points and not look at certain positions,” said England skipper Dallaglio.

“We have come down here to be competitive, and that’s exactly what will happen in the next two Tests (against New Zealand and Australia).

“We must not forget we won the last 12 meetings with southern hemisphere teams before the Dunedin Test, and while we have lost heavily, a lot of hard work went into creating that record and we must bounce back.”

While the All Blacks ride a crest of a wave, England must effectively start again after being left floundering hopelessly in the blocks.

“I know how hard it was to get England to the top – there were inglorious defeats along the way – and let’s remember the pain that was suffered before the success came,” Dallaglio added.

“We became world champions, and the only difference is that the learning has to be done very quickly.

“The real strength of a player is how he responds to failure – it will be the true measure of this team.

While England continue their preparations for Eden Park with training sessions closed to the public, the All Blacks’ open-door policy again proved an overwhelming triumph.

After the light 90-minute work-out, captain Tana Umaga and his players signed autographs for the crowd, the vast majority of which comprised local schoolchildren.