England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their maiden home victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick got a timely boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight reverse at home after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and though the Springboks secured their number one spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy 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 playing here. We will do all 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’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. Additionally, develop a defined strategy which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the squad preparing to face New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
