Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first home triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those losses came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and though the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.
George's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. But also, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer each suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been included in the group preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's present ability to break away in the closing stages of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
