🔗 Share this article

Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.

Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash

Steve Borthwick got a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the expanded squad revealed on Sunday night.

Current Form Differs with Previous Woes

England host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team endured six defeats in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.

The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa secured their number one spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

Of the last 11 encounters, England's sole win over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.

The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do everything we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic 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 opening period last time. Additionally, 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 came under a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a good team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes

Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the group preparing to take on the All Blacks.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable assessment for us.”

The Star's Take on Growth

The number eight, in addition, believes that England’s current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand last year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”