England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a timely lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded squad revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa secured their number one ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to step up a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out 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 solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but both have been included in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, 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 great test for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the changing 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 extremely valuable lessons.”
