🔗 Share this article

Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their maiden Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.

Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Clash

England's head coach got a welcome lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.

Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes

The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.

New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep alive, and though the Springboks cemented their number one spot, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”

Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.

The Captain's Insight on Playing 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 players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to win that game.

“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we might have improved in the first half this week. But also, have a clear gameplan which can apply as much stress 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 right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a good team.”

Borthwick's Outlook and Team Changes

The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the first XV. The wing and the newcomer each took knocks against the Islanders but have been included in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.

“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great test for us.”

Earl's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”