Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their first home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Clash
England's head coach got a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man squad announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England host the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding 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 the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and though South Africa cemented their top ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is again expected to make a several changes to his side, with captain the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against the Islanders but have been included in the squad preparing to face New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
