England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man group announced on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England endured multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks cemented their number one spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, the team's only victory over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do all we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, develop a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a several adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
