Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for selection since suffering an injury on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain hopes of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa cemented their top spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class talent,” 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 this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to win that game.
“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 exceptionally skilled team and they seem to raise a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, have a clear gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
The England coach is likely to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been selected in the group preparing to face New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle 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 eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's present ability to break away in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
