England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a commanding comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa cemented their number one spot, George described New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's only victory over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we might have improved in the first half this week. Additionally, develop a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Team Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a several changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer both took knocks against the Islanders 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 one of those elite squads,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that England’s present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
