England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first home victory over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick has received a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man group announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight reverse at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep alive, and though South Africa cemented their number one spot, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they seem to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago 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 latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. The wing and the newcomer both took knocks against the Islanders but both have been included in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We want to test our mettle against the best teams 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 growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s present ability to break away in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
