England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash
England's head coach has received a timely boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man squad announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
England will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa cemented their number one ranking, George described New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” 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 playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear 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 clear gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. 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 that game is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and the newcomer each suffered issues against the Islanders but have been selected in the group preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
