England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first Twickenham triumph over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and though the Springboks cemented their number one spot, the captain described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the opening period last time. But also, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not emerging on the winning end of tight games 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 closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been included in the squad preparing to face New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
The number eight, in addition, believes that the team's current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed 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.”
