England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered six defeats in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a tight reverse at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa secured their top ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. But also, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how 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. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s current ability to break away in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
