Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a timely boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side host the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa cemented their top ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, the team's only victory over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to step up a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half last time. Additionally, develop a clear gameplan which can apply as much stress as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all 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 final segment of that game is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the group preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
