Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their maiden Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
England host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and though South Africa secured their number one ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
The Captain'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 incredible talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, develop a defined strategy which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, 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 finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but both have been included in the group preparing to take on the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, 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 valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if 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 journey now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
