England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their maiden home victory over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded squad revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
The home side host the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England endured multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after George Ford 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 spot, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have 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 are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a level when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is identify where we might have improved in the first half last time. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced 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. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the final phases of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but both have been selected 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,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s present ability to break away in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
