Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden home victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach got a timely lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
England will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats came against New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa cemented their number one spot, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. 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 right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, develop a clear gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Changes
The England coach is likely to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer both took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, 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 Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
