Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their maiden home victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Crucial Fixture
England's head coach got a welcome lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England host the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on the weekend to maintain hopes of a clean sweep intact, and though the Springboks secured their number one ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a several adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the group preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s present ability to break away in the closing stages of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
