England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first Twickenham triumph over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick got a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
England host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and though the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably 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 New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to step up 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, develop a clear gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. 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 Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a several adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that England’s current capacity to break away in the closing stages of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on 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, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
