Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks cemented their top ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, the team's only victory over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class talent,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“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 team and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress 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 emerging on the winning end of tight games 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 closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against the Islanders but both have been included in the group preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, 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 great assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
The number eight, in addition, thinks that the team's present ability to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
