England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach got a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
England host the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks secured their top spot, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's sole win over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors 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 incredible players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy 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.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to step up a level when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is identify where we could have been better in the opening period last time. Additionally, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not emerging on the winning end 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 placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against the Islanders but both have been included in the squad getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that England’s current capacity to break away in the closing stages of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
