England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their maiden Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture
Steve Borthwick got a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.
Recent Performances Contrasts with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a commanding comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on Saturday to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and though the Springboks secured their number one spot, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a gear when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we might have improved in the first half this week. Additionally, 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 bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but have been included in the squad preparing 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 Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
The number eight, in addition, believes that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
