Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their first home triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded squad revealed on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and though the Springboks secured their top spot, George described New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to raise a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the first half last time. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but both have been selected in the squad getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that England’s current capacity to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
