Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their first home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight reverse at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa secured their number one ranking, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. Additionally, have a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both suffered issues against the Islanders but have been included in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said 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 going to be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s current capacity to break away in the closing stages of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
