England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first home victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain hopes of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa secured their top spot, the captain described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible players,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team 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 first half last time. But also, have a clear gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the group preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that England’s present ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
