England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their first home victory over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Fixture
Steve Borthwick got a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while South Africa cemented their top ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory 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.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, develop a clear gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but have been selected in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's present ability to break away in the closing stages of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
