England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their maiden home triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks secured their number one ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud 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 at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, develop a clear strategy which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s current ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
