England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash
England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks cemented their top ranking, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent 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 players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything 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 exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a defined strategy which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. 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 Team Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
The number eight, in addition, believes that England’s current ability to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the changing 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.”
