Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their maiden home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded squad revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks secured their top spot, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's sole win over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their incredible players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to raise a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the group getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
