England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and though the Springboks cemented their top spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they seem to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team 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 set to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the group preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented 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 will be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
The number eight, in addition, believes that the team's current ability 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 seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
