Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their maiden home triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash
England's head coach has received a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England endured multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks secured their top spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective 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 incredible players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, develop a defined strategy which can apply 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 figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Team Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been included in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel seasoned, 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,” said the back-rower, who was awarded 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 interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
