England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first home triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Crucial Clash
Steve Borthwick got a welcome lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded group announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks cemented their top spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember 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 win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, develop a clear gameplan 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 lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a several changes to his lineup, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. The wing and the newcomer both suffered issues against the Islanders but have been included in the squad getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s current capacity to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
