England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their first Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a timely boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded squad announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
England host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team endured multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa cemented their top spot, George described the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 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 clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. But also, develop a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Team Changes
The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper 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 both have been included in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
