England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick got a timely lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded group revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side host New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team endured six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with two late kicks.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks secured their top spot, the captain described the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the first half this week. Additionally, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group preparing to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great test for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that England’s current ability to pull clear in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
