England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach got a welcome boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa cemented their top ranking, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do all 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 are a unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. But also, have a defined gameplan 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 last year for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, 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 both have been selected in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
