Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their first home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach got a timely boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome 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. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa secured their number one ranking, George described New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but both have been included 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 one of those best teams,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
