Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their first home victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Clash
England's head coach got a welcome lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to maintain hopes of a clean sweep alive, and while the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their legacy 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 this venue. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, have a clear gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick'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 the newcomer both took knocks against the Islanders but both have been included in the group preparing to take on the All Blacks.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that the team's present ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
