Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first home victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash
England's head coach has received a timely boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
England host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England endured multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks secured their top spot, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and the newcomer both took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the squad getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great test for us.”
The Star'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 New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, 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 to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
