England's skipper has warned 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 triumph over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Crucial Clash
England's head coach has received a timely lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England host the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a commanding comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and though South Africa cemented their top ranking, George described New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration 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 Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to step up a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, 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 bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the group getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those 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 the upcoming will be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
