Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their first home victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Clash
England's head coach got a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
The home side host the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a commanding comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks cemented their top spot, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's only victory over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy 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 playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they seem to raise a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the first half this week. But also, develop a defined strategy which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a several changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed 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.”
