England's skipper has warned 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 victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick got a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England 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. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats came against New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa cemented their top ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible players,” said 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 are going to do all we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we might have improved in the first half last time. But also, have a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the squad preparing to face New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded 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 enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
