Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their first home victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a commanding comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class talent,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember 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 come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a gear when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer both took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the group preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
