Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first home triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after George Ford failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on the weekend to keep hopes of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa cemented their top spot, the captain described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, the team'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 Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware 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 right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, develop a clear strategy which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the squad getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
