Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their maiden home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick got a timely boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side host New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England endured six defeats in seven matches, each by fine 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 two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks secured their top ranking, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to raise a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. Additionally, develop a clear strategy 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 last year for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Team Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to return to the first XV. The wing and the newcomer both took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the squad preparing to take on the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience 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 wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
