England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their maiden Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Fixture
England's head coach got a timely lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the 37-man group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
The home side host the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain hopes of a clean sweep alive, and though South Africa cemented their top ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's sole win over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the first half last time. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the final phases of games and closing games out. 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 changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the squad preparing to face New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great test for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that the team's current ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
