England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick got a timely boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and though the Springboks secured their top spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half last time. Additionally, develop a clear strategy which can apply as much stress as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.
“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. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with captain the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group preparing to face New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that England’s present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats 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 setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
