England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
England will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa secured their number one spot, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the opening period last time. But also, have a clear strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. 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 that game is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been selected in the squad getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
The number eight, in addition, believes that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
