England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick got a welcome lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to raise a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games 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 big emphasis on the final phases of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the group preparing to face New Zealand.
“We aim 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 developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
The number eight, in addition, thinks that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed 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 Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
