Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their first home victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a timely boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded squad announced on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Contrasts with Past Struggles
England host the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team endured multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while South Africa cemented their top spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not emerging on the right side 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 strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but both have been selected in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said 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 valuable test for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that the team's present capacity to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
