Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach got a welcome boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for selection since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team suffered six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and though the Springboks cemented their number one spot, George described the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their incredible players,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. But also, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to return to the first XV. The wing and the newcomer both took knocks against the Islanders but both have been included in the group getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“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 evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's current ability to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
