England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man group announced on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks secured their top ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the top team 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 have not been beaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to 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 have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. We’re very proud to be playing here. We will do everything 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 appear to raise a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, 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 finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against the Islanders but have been included in the group getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great test for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “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 interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
