England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their first home victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
Steve Borthwick got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the expanded squad revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and though the Springboks cemented their top ranking, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to raise a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. But also, develop a clear 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 right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the squad preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great test for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing 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.”
