Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to maintain hopes of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks secured their number one ranking, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing 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 peak. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. But also, develop a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the winning end 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 big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and the newcomer both suffered issues against Fiji but both have been included in the squad getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
The number eight, in addition, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”