England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their first home victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach got a timely lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded squad announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on Saturday to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and though the Springboks cemented their top ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to step up a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, have a clear gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer each took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the group preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses 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 losses, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
