Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa cemented their number one spot, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory 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.
George'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 world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to raise a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the first half this week. But also, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been selected in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those 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 next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s present ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches 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 got the experience to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
