Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first home victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a timely boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded squad revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and though South Africa secured their top ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be playing here. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem 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, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.
“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Changes
The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the squad preparing 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 growing rapidly and we’re keen 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 present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
