England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their maiden home triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal 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 injury on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded group revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
The home side host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow 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 missed two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa secured their top ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the first half this week. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus 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 Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, the flanker, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but have been selected in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great test for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
