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 first Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach got a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
England host New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while South Africa secured their top spot, the captain described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 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 recent fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting 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 competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a level when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been included in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, 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 great test for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s current ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
