England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first home victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Fixture
England's head coach got a timely lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
The home side host the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while South Africa secured their top spot, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing 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 without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism 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 exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a several changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and the newcomer both suffered issues against the Islanders but have been included in the squad getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” 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 the upcoming will be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
The number eight, in addition, thinks that the team's present ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
