England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first home victory over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Team Updates Before Crucial Clash
Steve Borthwick got a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats came against the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at home after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain hopes of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.
“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 squad and they appear to raise a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a bit of heat 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 solved everything. But we’ve put a strong focus 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 good team.”
The Coach's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group preparing to face New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's current ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
