England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their maiden home victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
England will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and though the Springboks secured their number one ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's only victory over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they appear to raise a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the first half last time. Additionally, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the squad preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
