England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first home triumph over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a timely lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
England will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa secured their number one spot, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half last time. Additionally, have a clear gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both took knocks against Fiji but 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 one of those elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
The number eight, in addition, believes that England’s current ability to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
