Ellis: England will adopt open game | Canterbury Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Canterbury

Andy Ellis, eagerly looking forward to his first test at AMI Stadium tomorrow night, expects the revamped England backline to run the ball more.

The second England test will be the 24-year-old halfback's seventh, but running out in black on his home ground for the first time makes it a day he's never going to forget.

"I'm really pumped up - it's going to be a pretty special moment," he said.

"I've been going and watching all the games at the stadium since I was a little boy, and now actually playing in a big test match there is great. You get a good feel for a ground and enjoy playing at home."

As well as every member of the Ellis family, he'll have former All Black Warwick Taylor, who had a big influence on his career when he was at Burnside High School, looking on proudly.

For the third test this season, Ellis also has the benefit of playing alongside Crusaders playmaker Dan Carter.

"It's nice to get some consistent game time in the All Blacks, and the fact that Dan's playing outside definitely helps as well," he said.

"You form a bit of a combination with someone and you get to learn or hear their voice and know where they are on the field, so game plan and things like that seem to fall into place better."

The English have gambled with wholesale backline changes. It looked a good strong running combination, good defensively, but still having a good kicking game, said Ellis. England would look to play a bit more, probably, using their backs, and there would be a bit more excitement about them with the kind of ball runners they had.

"I suppose they wanted to strengthen up their defence, probably, and be able to run with a bit more strength at our backs," he said.

They were likely to run more tomorrow - "they've still got handy kickers, but they've got probably bigger, stronger ball runners, and they're good on the off-loads all through the midfield, so you might see a slightly different style of play."

Ellis will face a new opponent in 21-year-old Danny Care, of Harlequins, who opted for rugby over the chance of a soccer career with Sheffield Wednesday, and came on midway the second half at Eden Park.

"It looks like he's quite a fast, nippy runner and he's got a good pass, so it'll be a good challenge," said Ellis.

While debate over the All Black management bubbles on, the ABs have been insulated from it. The reality was Graham Henry had the job for two years, and so far it had been great, said Ellis.

The All Blacks had a good balance at the moment, there was a good vibe, and the coaching staff were doing a great job, he said.