England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their maiden home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick got a welcome boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
The home side host New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and though South Africa cemented their top ranking, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to raise a level when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, have a clear strategy which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a several changes to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer both suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been included in the group preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
The number eight, in addition, believes that the team's present ability to break away in the dying minutes of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
