England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the expanded squad revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and though South Africa secured their number one ranking, George described New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
Of the last 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.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class talent,” 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 competing at home. We are going to do all we can to win that game.
“You have 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 visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, have a clear strategy which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.
“We faced a bit of heat last year for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been selected in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man 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.”
