Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first home victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick got a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the expanded squad revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep alive, and though South Africa secured their number one spot, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their history 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 must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“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 seem to step up a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. But also, develop a clear gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Team Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“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 Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's present ability to break away in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
