Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick got a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man group announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory 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 suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at home after George Ford failed with two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks was during 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 All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand 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’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to raise a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, develop a defined strategy which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way 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 final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with captain the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but have been included in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, 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 test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present capacity to break away in the closing stages of games owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
