Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Clash
England's head coach has received a welcome lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks secured their number one ranking, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much stress 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 final phases of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Team Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a several changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the group preparing to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
The number eight, in addition, thinks that England’s current ability to pull clear in the closing stages of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the changing 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 priceless lessons.”
