Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash
England's head coach has received a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to maintain hopes of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks secured their number one spot, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's only victory over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. But also, have a clear 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 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both took knocks against the Islanders but have been included in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that England’s present capacity to break away in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
