England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their maiden home victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick got a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team endured multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks cemented their top ranking, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we might have improved in the first half last time. Additionally, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group preparing to face New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game 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 interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
