England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first home victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash
Steve Borthwick got a welcome boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa secured their number one ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to raise a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under 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 emerging 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 put a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the squad getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
