Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England endured multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa cemented their top spot, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's only victory over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.
George's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible talent,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, develop a clear gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the right side of close contests 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 strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the squad getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great test for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that England’s present ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches 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 got the experience to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
