England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden home triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick got a timely lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man squad announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa cemented their top spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do all we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we might have improved in the first half last time. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Team Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a several changes to his lineup, with captain the lock, the flanker, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the squad getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said 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 the upcoming will be a great test for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
