England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Clash
Steve Borthwick has received a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks secured their number one spot, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing 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 peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the first half this week. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games 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 latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his lineup, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each suffered issues against Fiji but have been included in the group preparing to take on the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that England’s present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if 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 the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
