England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.
Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles
England host the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a clean sweep intact, and though the Springboks cemented their number one spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's sole win over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the squad preparing to face New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
