England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side host the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those losses came against the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and though South Africa secured their top spot, George described the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, have a defined gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of tight games 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 latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the squad getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s present ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing 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 very, very priceless lessons.”
