England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England endured six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks secured their number one ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy 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.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer each took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the squad getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if 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 Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
