England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their maiden home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Crucial Clash
England's head coach got a timely lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa secured their number one spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible 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 playing at Allianz Stadium. 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 without doubt the best side in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, have a clear gameplan which can put them under 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 emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many 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 captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but have been included in the squad getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that the team's present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
