Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their maiden home victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man squad announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep alive, and while the Springboks cemented their number one spot, the captain described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, the team's only victory over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.
George's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand 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 must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they appear to raise a gear 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 apply as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the winning end of close contests 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 latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the squad 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 evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, 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, 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,” said the back-rower, who was named player of the game 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 enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
