Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their maiden home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick has received a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and though the Springboks secured their number one ranking, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their incredible players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. We’re very proud to be playing here. We will do everything we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to raise a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is identify where we might have improved in the first half last time. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is again expected to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the squad preparing to face New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great test for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”