Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks cemented their top ranking, the captain described the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” stated former captain George. “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 competing at home. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a several changes to his lineup, with captain the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but have been included in the group preparing to face New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
