Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their maiden home victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach got a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England host the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team endured multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on Saturday to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks secured their top ranking, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible talent,” 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. We’re very proud 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 at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to raise a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. But also, develop a clear 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 lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but have been included in the group preparing to take on the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” 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 test for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you 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,” remarked Earl, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
