England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their maiden Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture
Steve Borthwick got a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
England will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to maintain hopes of a clean sweep alive, and though the Springboks cemented their top ranking, George described the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, the team's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to raise a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, develop a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, 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 closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you seasoned, 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 the back-rower, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
