England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first home victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
The home side host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at home after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks cemented their number one spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they seem to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a several changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both suffered issues against Fiji but both have been selected in the squad preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Reflection 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 three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”