England's captain Warns Squad Against Stand in Awe at All Blacks' Reputation
Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a welcome lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and though the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all expected to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s present ability to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”