England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side host the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team suffered six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa cemented their number one ranking, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible talent,” stated the experienced hooker. “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. 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. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a clear strategy which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side 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 put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, the flanker, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer both took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group preparing to face New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
The number eight, in addition, thinks that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
