Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a timely boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.
Recent Performances Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team endured multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their incredible players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I have 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 will do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to raise a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better 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 give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against the Islanders but have been selected in the group preparing to face New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present ability to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
