England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their maiden home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach got a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded group revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after George Ford failed with two late kicks.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks secured their top spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” 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 back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do everything 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 at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is identify where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Changes
The England coach is likely to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been included in the group getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that England’s current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience 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 path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
