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 home victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the expanded squad revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa secured their number one spot, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a gear when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we might have improved in the first half last time. But also, develop a defined strategy which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a several adjustments to his side, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but have been selected in the squad 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,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, 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.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
The number eight, in addition, thinks that the team's current ability to break away in the dying minutes of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
