England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their maiden Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded squad revealed on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team suffered six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa cemented their top ranking, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of the All Blacks 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 back here at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, develop a defined strategy which can apply as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, 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. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s present ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they stung 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, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
