England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their maiden home victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Clash
England's head coach got a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team endured six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks cemented their top ranking, George described the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's only victory over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration 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 in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here 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 peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to raise a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we might have improved in the first half last time. Additionally, have a clear gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said Borthwick. “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 going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that England’s present ability to break away in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
