England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick got a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for selection since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the expanded squad announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side host the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa secured their top ranking, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible players,” stated 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 playing at this venue. It’s an honour 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 without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. Additionally, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. 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 final segment of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the squad getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
The number eight, in addition, thinks that England’s present ability to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing 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 very, very valuable lessons.”
