England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first home triumph over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
England will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks secured their top ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” said the experienced hooker. “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 Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to raise a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a clear strategy which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, 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 closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his side, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been selected in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
