England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
England host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks secured their number one ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a gear when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we might have improved in the opening period last time. But also, develop a defined strategy which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the group preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
The number eight, in addition, believes that England’s current capacity to break away in the closing stages of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
