England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their maiden Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick got a welcome boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded group announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side host the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on Saturday to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and though South Africa cemented their number one ranking, George described New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be playing here. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, have a defined strategy which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great test for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing 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 very, very priceless lessons.”
