Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden home victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach got a timely boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
The home side host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding comfortable win over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on Saturday to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks cemented their top spot, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to step up a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period 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 chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the first XV. The wing and the newcomer both suffered issues against Fiji but both have been included in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's current capacity to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
