England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their maiden home victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad announced on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England endured multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. But also, have a clear strategy which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Changes
The England coach is likely to make a several changes to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been included in the squad getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they hurt 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, 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 extremely valuable lessons.”
