England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side host the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while South Africa cemented their number one ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to step up a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Team Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all expected to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against the Islanders but have been selected in the group getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those 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 the upcoming will be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s current ability to break away in the closing stages of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand last year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those setbacks, 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 journey now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
