England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach got a welcome lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury 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 expanded squad revealed on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
England host the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa cemented their top ranking, George described the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Perspective 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 talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. 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 best. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a level when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, develop a clear gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat 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. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Changes
The England coach is likely to make a several changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but both have been included in the group preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
