England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick got a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side host New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team endured multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks secured their number one spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we might have improved in the first half this week. Additionally, have a clear gameplan which can apply as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, 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 squad preparing to take on the All Blacks.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
The number eight, in addition, believes that England’s present ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
