Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Clash
England's head coach has received a timely lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear 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 losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and though South Africa secured their top spot, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, 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 stand in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will 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 right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the first half this week. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Changes
The England coach is likely to make a several adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against the Islanders but have been selected in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s present capacity to break away in the closing stages of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder 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 extremely valuable lessons.”
