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 home victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash
Steve Borthwick has received a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and though South Africa cemented their number one spot, the captain described the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's only victory over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. 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 squad and they appear to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against the Islanders but have been selected in the squad preparing to face New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great test for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
