England are favourites against All Blacks, and fearless Wales are an inspiration

In his latest BBC Sport column, England World Cup winner Matt Dawson reflects on Steve Borthwick's side's emphatic 78-15 thrashing of Japan and looks ahead to the match against New Zealand next weekend.

I would love to see the England players absolutely bombarded with the favourites tag before their meeting with New Zealand next week.

Perhaps even over-egg it a little bit - I want to see how this side handles it.

At the end of the day, beating New Zealand or South Africa will likely be a requirement if you want to win a Rugby World Cup.

Are England really favourites? Yes, I genuinely believe they are.

While victories over Australia and Japan have been encouraging, it was Wales' epic win over the All Blacks on Saturday that has given me real faith that this England side is good enough to compete at the highest level.

The key question is whether they can play as they have done over the last two weeks while carrying the favourites tag.

England are playing a better style of rugby than New Zealand. I thought the All Blacks' attack, particularly in the second half in Cardiff, was incredibly one-dimensional.

That is nothing for England to be afraid of as their own attack has been very slick this campaign.

New Zealand aren't going to fix those issues in a week, and England should be capable of soaking up that style of attack defensively.

Of course, the All Blacks were missing some frontline players, including Cam Roigard, Damian McKenzie, Will Jordan and Jordie Barrett.

However, what I saw during the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series was the Springboks beginning to work out that style of play after losing the first Test.

They went on to win the next three Tests in a row.

Having beaten the All Blacks last year, I don't want England to approach this home fixture with an underdog mentality. This side needs to get used to being a contender.

The next few weeks could prove crucial in determining whether they are genuine challengers at next year's World Cup.

An undefeated autumn, regardless of whether they finish top of the northern hemisphere standings in the Nations Championship, would elevate England to contenders for the Six Nations.

Two weeks ago, England would have been delighted to find themselves in this position. Now, the reward could be two massive Tests against the very best.

They are not at the level of France or South Africa yet. I think those two sides, particularly after Friday's Test match, are still a little bit ahead of everybody else.

However, England have a good chance of facing New Zealand back-to-back over the next two weeks. What an unbelievable opportunity that would be and what a feather in the cap it would represent for this team.

It would not only give the players belief in what they are capable of achieving, but also send a message to the rest of the world that they can beat New Zealand and potentially follow that up with another victory over the All Blacks or South Africa.

They are not there yet, and I'm not suggesting that beating Australia and Japan alone puts them at that level.

These next two weeks present a huge opportunity to show just how far they have come.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso's unfortunate injury against Australia leaves a spot open on the left wing.

Five tries against Japan certainly puts Will Joseph in contention. Although he played on the right wing, his experience at centre means he should be comfortable on either side of the pitch.

He is a clever defender who understands the game well and looks a real threat that can offer something different with his balanced running game.

Seb Atkinson keeps the number 12 shirt if he is fit, but Max Ojomoh's performance against Japan means I would have no concerns if he is unavailable.

Ojomoh looks like a Test-level 12. He brought a toughness to his game on Saturday that head coach Steve Borthwick has been asking for.

The bench is also an interesting area, I thought Greg Fisilau was excellent against Japan.

I think England have the ability to step things up when they find their perfect number eight.

Fisilau brought a huge level of physicality in defence and was technically very good. The way he got around the field and controlled things at the base of the scrum was also excellent.

Offensively, England have been playing sevens at eight, with Ben Earl and Henry Pollock filling that role for a while.

It would be a bold call to bring Fisilau into the starting side next week, but he has certainly put himself in the equation over the coming months.

The context is that he was playing against Japan with England miles ahead, but I thought he looked like a natural international number eight.

Wales being in England's World Cup pool next year was never going to be an easy prospect.

That statement performance against the All Blacks reminded everyone why it is so important for the northern hemisphere to have a strong Welsh side.

You won't hear many Englishmen say they want to see them being successful, but I do.

Having Wales competing in that atmosphere, and seeing that narrative of success, is hugely important for northern hemisphere rugby.

I have nothing but admiration for the way that squad played and what they have been through over the last couple of years.

It is important we recognise just how big a win that was. It wasn't simply a case of New Zealand having a shocker. Wales stepped up and delivered a fantastic performance.

To achieve something that hasn't been done for 73 years must bring an incredible feeling of relief and disbelief.

There was talk of the death of Welsh rugby, the struggles of the provinces and whether the game would ever recover. It is a perfect example of how quickly narratives can change in Test rugby.

Wales were excellent in the way they fearlessly attacked New Zealand, and England should take plenty of inspiration from that.

A wounded All Blacks side is a scary proposition. England must go into the game expecting them to be back to their very best.

That is the mentality they need to adopt, while also embracing they are favourites for a reason.

Matt Dawson was speaking to BBC Sport's Alastair Telfer.