Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep alive, and while the Springboks cemented their top ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. 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 right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. Additionally, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat 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 exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a several changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that the team's present ability to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
