England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their first home victory over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach got a timely boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and though the Springboks secured their number one ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. 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 everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure 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 emerging on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, 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. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer each took knocks against the Islanders but have been included in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of games owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
