Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their first home victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Clash
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded squad announced on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
The home side host the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
George's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to raise a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing 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 pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. 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 sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the squad preparing to take on the All Blacks.
“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 valuable test for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
