England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden home victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa secured their number one ranking, George described the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“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 team and they appear to raise a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. But also, have a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer both suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the squad getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
