England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Clash
Steve Borthwick has received a timely boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man group announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
England host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they seem to step up a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the first half last time. Additionally, have a clear strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, the flanker, and Ford all expected to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been included in the squad preparing to take on the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s current capacity to break away in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last 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,” said the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
