Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man group announced on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats came against New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep alive, and though South Africa secured their top spot, George described the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do all 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 are a exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. 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 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 placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's current ability to pull clear in the closing stages of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel 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 awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
