Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden home victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on the weekend to maintain hopes of a clean sweep intact, and though the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to step up a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the opening period last time. Additionally, have a clear strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a several changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all expected to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the squad getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
