England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Clash
England's head coach got a timely boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an injury on Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded squad revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England endured multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on Saturday to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and though the Springboks cemented their number one spot, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. But also, develop a defined strategy which can apply as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced 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 exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both took knocks against the Islanders but have been selected in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, 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 New Zealand last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
