Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a welcome lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
The home side host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a clean sweep intact, and though South Africa secured their number one spot, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. 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 at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we might have improved in the first half last time. Additionally, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against the Islanders but both have been included in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, 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 wonder to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
