England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their first home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
The home side host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa cemented their number one ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's sole win over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to raise a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. Additionally, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Team Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, the flanker, and Ford all expected to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but both have been included in the squad preparing to take on the All Blacks.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games is largely due 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 learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
