Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first home victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team endured multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa secured their number one spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” stated the experienced hooker. “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 this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to step up a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. But also, develop a defined strategy which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but both have been included in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
The number eight, in addition, thinks that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
