Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their maiden home victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach got a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
The home side host the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team endured multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks cemented their number one spot, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible talent,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy 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 playing here. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they seem to raise a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the opening period last time. Additionally, have a clear gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out 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 cracked it. 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 sign of a quality team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Team Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, 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 squad preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that England’s present capacity to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like 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 awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
