England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their first home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Contrasts with Previous Woes
England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team endured multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks secured their number one ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis 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 Team Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
