England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden home victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered six defeats in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep alive, and though the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Playing 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 tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a level when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we might have improved in the first half last time. Additionally, have a defined gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the group preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, 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.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's present ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
