England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their maiden home victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Clash
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks secured their top ranking, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is sit back 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. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. Additionally, have a defined strategy which can apply as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but have been included in the squad preparing to face New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
