Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their first Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a timely boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa secured their number one ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's only victory over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been included in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
