England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their maiden home victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Before Crucial Clash
Steve Borthwick got a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England host the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England 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 tight reverse at home after George Ford failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks secured their number one spot, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, 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 clashes at England's home ground.
George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital 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 team and they appear to raise a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of that game 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 changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
The number eight, in addition, thinks that England’s current capacity to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
