Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their maiden home victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick got a welcome lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.
Recent Performances Contrasts with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand 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 multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a clean sweep alive, and while the Springboks secured their top ranking, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over New Zealand came in 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 stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” 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 back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will 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 right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but have been selected in the group getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got 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 Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing 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.”
