Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Fixture
England's head coach got a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group announced on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks secured their top spot, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to win that game.
“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 team and they seem to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. Additionally, have a defined strategy which can apply as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago 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 final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Team Changes
The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but both have been selected in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
The number eight, in addition, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand last year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from 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 to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
