England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach got a timely lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa cemented their number one spot, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's sole win over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they appear to raise a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against the Islanders but have been included in the group preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that England’s present capacity to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if 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 awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
