Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, George 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 the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible talent,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting 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 all we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, have a defined strategy which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against the Islanders but have been selected in the group getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that England’s present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
