Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their maiden home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Clash
Steve Borthwick has received a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England host New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa secured their number one 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 the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a several changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
The number eight, in addition, thinks that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they hurt 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 success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
