England's skipper has warned that the team 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 Before Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick got a timely lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side host the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team endured multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and though the Springboks cemented their top spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they seem to step up a level when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. 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 right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but have been included in the group preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
