Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first home victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa cemented their number one spot, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over New Zealand 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 Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to raise a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us is is identify where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, develop 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 last year for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been included in the group preparing to face New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present ability to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
