England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their first home victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach got a timely boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded group announced on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and while the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to step up a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us is is identify where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, have a clear gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is again expected to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the squad getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
The number eight, in addition, thinks that England’s present ability to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
