England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their maiden home victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach got a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks cemented their top spot, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. 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 best. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to raise a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do 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 give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Team Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, the flanker, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer each suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group preparing 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 rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question 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 extremely valuable lessons.”
