Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since suffering an arm fracture on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the expanded squad revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep alive, and though South Africa cemented their top ranking, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to step up a gear when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, develop a clear gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his lineup, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but have been selected in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said 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 the upcoming going to be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand last year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
