Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first home triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Crucial Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a timely boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the expanded squad revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while South Africa secured their number one ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. 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 are a unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, have a defined gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat 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 strong focus 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 quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and the newcomer both took knocks against Fiji but both have been selected in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game 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 curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
