England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first home triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the expanded group revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a commanding comfortable win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain hopes of a clean sweep alive, and while the Springboks secured their top spot, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to step up a gear when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat 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 exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
The number eight, in addition, thinks that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to build on 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 changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
