Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
The home side host the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa secured their top spot, George described New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the opening period this week. But also, develop a clear gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.
“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Changes
The England coach is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
The number eight, in addition, thinks that England’s present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
