Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash
England's head coach got a timely lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded group revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team endured six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on the weekend to maintain hopes of a clean sweep intact, and though South Africa secured their number one ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's only victory over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain'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 incredible talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, have a clear 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 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed 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.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but have been included in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great test for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s current ability to pull clear in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
