Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach got a welcome boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
England host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding comfortable win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks cemented their top spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud 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. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, have a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress 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 coming out on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter 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 changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the group preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
The number eight, in addition, believes that England’s present capacity to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last 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 question to a man in the dressing 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 valuable lessons.”
