England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
The home side host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain hopes of a clean sweep intact, and though South Africa secured their top ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. 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 arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to raise a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the first half this week. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the squad preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that the team's current ability to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
