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 victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash
England's head coach has received a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the expanded group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while South Africa cemented their top spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at this venue. 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 right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, have a clear gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but both have been selected in the group preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's present capacity to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
