England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for selection since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England host the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run 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 England endured six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa secured their top spot, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's sole win over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your best. 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 step up a gear when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, have a defined strategy which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how 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 final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the group preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s present ability to pull clear 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 got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
