Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach got a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
England host the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and while the Springboks cemented their number one spot, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.
George's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the first half this week. But also, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against the Islanders but have been included in the group preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's current ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
