England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Clash
England's head coach got a welcome boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford failed with two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and though the Springboks secured their top spot, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting 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 competing at home. We will do all we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do 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 stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago 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. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a several changes to his side, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against the Islanders but both have been included in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” 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 next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
The number eight, in addition, thinks that the team's current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to learn from 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, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
