Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first home triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded squad revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at home 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 though the Springboks cemented their top spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's only victory over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. 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 come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the opening period last time. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging 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 solved everything. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Changes
The England coach is likely to make a several changes to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to return to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer each suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the group getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
