Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture
Steve Borthwick got a welcome lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
England host the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks secured their number one ranking, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's sole win over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do all we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to raise a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. Additionally, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, 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 closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Team Changes
The England coach is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the squad getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, 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 great assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
The number eight, in addition, thinks that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
