Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their maiden Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash
England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
England will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and though South Africa cemented their number one spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we might have improved in the first half last time. But also, develop a defined strategy which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games 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 closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a quality team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer both took knocks against the Islanders but have been included in the squad getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
