England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their maiden Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Clash
Steve Borthwick has received a welcome boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded squad revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team endured multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks secured their number one spot, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy 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 playing here. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the first half last time. Additionally, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but have been included in the squad getting ready to take on the All Blacks.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s current capacity to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, 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,” said the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
