England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a welcome lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for selection since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man squad announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
England host New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a decisive 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered six defeats in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa cemented their top ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us is is identify where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the squad preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves 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 growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's present ability to break away in the closing stages of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
