Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since suffering an injury on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Contrasts with Previous Woes
England host New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England endured six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa secured their number one spot, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's sole win over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a level when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. Additionally, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“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. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected 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 preparing to face New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s current ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
