Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded group announced on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
England host New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory 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 outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep hopes of a clean sweep intact, and though South Africa cemented their number one ranking, the captain described the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, have a defined strategy which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the squad preparing to face New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s present capacity to break away in the closing stages of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
