England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their first Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep hopes of a clean sweep intact, and though the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, George described the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's only victory over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. 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 level when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. Additionally, have a clear gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Changes
The England coach is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer both took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's current ability to break away in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
