England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their first home victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Clash
England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks secured their top spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
George's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at this venue. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, develop a clear strategy which can apply as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism 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 exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring 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 likely to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group 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,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
The number eight, in addition, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
