Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a timely boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa secured their top spot, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us is 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 stress as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. 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 last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against Fiji but both have been selected in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches 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 hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded 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 sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
