England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture
Steve Borthwick got a timely lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded squad revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England host the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after George Ford failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though the Springboks secured their top ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be playing here. We will do all we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, have a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the winning end of tight games 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 big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the group preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves 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 rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great test for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that the team's current ability to break away in the closing stages of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
