Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though the Springboks secured their top ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's only victory 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 Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will 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 right now. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. Additionally, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages 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 View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the group preparing to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
The number eight, in addition, believes that England’s current capacity to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed 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 the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
