England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick got a timely lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the 37-man squad announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
England host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and though South Africa cemented their top ranking, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
George'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 former captain George. “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 playing here. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to step up a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, develop a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“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. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that the team's current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
