England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Clash
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
The home side host the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team endured multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa secured their number one spot, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. 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 are a unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a gear when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, develop a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
The England coach is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been included in the group preparing to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
