Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team endured six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks secured their number one spot, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's only victory over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a several changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer both suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the squad getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
The number eight, in addition, believes that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
