England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first home triumph over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash
England's head coach has received a welcome lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded group announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and though the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, George described the All Blacks 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 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.
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 players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do all we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they seem to raise a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a defined strategy which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Team Adjustments
The England coach 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 starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the squad preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great test for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing 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 valuable lessons.”
