England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Team Updates Before Crucial Clash
England's head coach got a timely boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
England host New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while South Africa cemented their number one spot, the captain described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but both have been selected in the squad getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great test for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
The number eight, in addition, believes that the team's current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
