England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first home victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Clash
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
England will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered six defeats in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa cemented their top spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back 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 have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to step up a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the first half last time. But also, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but both have been included in the squad getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving 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 Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s current ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded 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 sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
