Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first home victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England endured multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while South Africa secured their number one ranking, the captain described the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's only victory over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to step up a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the opening period last time. Additionally, develop a clear strategy which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games 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 big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a several changes to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
The number eight, in addition, believes that England’s current capacity to break away in the closing stages of games owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
