Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their maiden home triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach got a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team endured six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep alive, and though the Springboks cemented their number one spot, George described New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is sit back in awe of New Zealand 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 must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled 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 last time. Additionally, have a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all expected to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but have been selected in the squad preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, 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.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
The number eight, in addition, believes that the team's present ability to pull clear in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
