England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded group announced on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
England host the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England endured multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep intact, and though the Springboks secured their number one ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible talent,” 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 competing at home. We will do all we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. 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 create a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's current ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
