Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Crucial Fixture
England's head coach got a timely lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
England host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa cemented their number one spot, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, the team's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.
George's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a level when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is identify where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, have a clear 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 bit of heat last year for not emerging on the winning end of tight games 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 strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Team Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a number of 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 have been included in the squad getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great test for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I question 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 very, very valuable lessons.”
