England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their maiden home victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Before Crucial Fixture
England's head coach got a welcome lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on the weekend to keep hopes of a clean sweep alive, and while the Springboks secured their number one ranking, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's only victory over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to raise a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we might have improved in the first half last time. But also, have a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Team Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but have been included in the squad preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly 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 Growth
The number eight, in addition, thinks that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the dressing 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 priceless lessons.”
