England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their first home victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick has received a timely boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the 37-man group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side host New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and though the Springboks cemented their number one spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the opening period this week. But also, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer both took knocks against the Islanders but have been selected in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
