England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their maiden home triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the expanded group announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and though the Springboks secured their number one spot, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to raise a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us is is identify where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, have a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of tight games 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 latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Team Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but both have been selected in the group preparing to face New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great test for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
