England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
England host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered six defeats in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those losses came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks secured their top spot, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's only victory over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be playing here. We will do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the first half this week. But also, have a defined strategy which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the final phases of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, 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 Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
