England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden home triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
England host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa secured their number one ranking, the captain 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 came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware 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 come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the first half this week. Additionally, develop a clear gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group preparing to take on the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand last year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
