England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their first home victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep alive, and while the Springboks secured their number one spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a number of 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 both suffered issues against the Islanders but have been included in the squad getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great test for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s present ability to pull clear in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
