Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick got a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded squad announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep hopes of a clean sweep intact, and though the Springboks cemented their number one spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember 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 without doubt the best side in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the opening period last time. But also, have a defined strategy which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected 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 preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams 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 Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue 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 changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
