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 home victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Before Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after George Ford failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa cemented their top spot, the captain described the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” 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 playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to raise a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been selected in the squad preparing to take on the All Blacks.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
