England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their maiden home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick got a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man group announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
England host the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks secured their number one spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. 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 are going to do all we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to raise a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we might have improved in the first half 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 create a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against Fiji but both have been selected in the group getting ready to face 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 evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's present ability to pull clear in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
