Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first home victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
The home side host the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a commanding comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa secured their number one ranking, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do everything 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 exceptionally skilled squad 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 opening period this week. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Team Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a several changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against the Islanders but have been selected in the group preparing to face New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
