England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their maiden Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded group revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side host the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team endured six defeats in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and though the Springboks secured their number one spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's sole win over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting 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.
“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, develop a clear strategy which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed 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 good team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
The England coach is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the group getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's present ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
