England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham triumph over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach got a timely lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded squad revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side host the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and though the Springboks secured their number one ranking, George described New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's only victory over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible talent,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we might have improved in the first half this week. Additionally, develop 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 faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been included in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's current ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
