England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their first Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded group revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and though South Africa cemented their number one ranking, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps 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 last five fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a gear when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, develop 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 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 put a big emphasis on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but have been included in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great test for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
