England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their maiden Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash
England's head coach got a timely lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team endured multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa secured their number one spot, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, have a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not emerging 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 cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been included in the squad getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great test for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s present ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the changing 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.”
