England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
The home side host the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team endured multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and though South Africa secured their number one spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. But also, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out 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 finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to return to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer both took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the group preparing to face New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's current ability to break away in the dying minutes of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was named man of the match 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 sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
