Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their maiden home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a welcome lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
The home side host New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks secured their number one spot, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's sole win over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” stated the experienced hooker. “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 everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they seem to raise a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, the flanker, and Ford all expected to return to the first XV. The wing and the newcomer both took knocks against the Islanders but have been included in the group preparing to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
