England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham triumph over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Team Updates Before Crucial Clash
Steve Borthwick got a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions tour, while the full-back 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 stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa cemented their top ranking, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent 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 incredible players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. We’re very proud to be playing here. We will do everything 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’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to step up a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the first half this week. But also, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not emerging 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 strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against the Islanders but have been selected in the group getting ready to face 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. “Our team is youthful, 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 great test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that England’s current ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
