Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash
England's head coach got a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded group announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
The home side will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a commanding 38-18 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 overseas tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa secured their number one spot, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks
“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. 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.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to step up a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus 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 good team.”
The Coach's View and Team Changes
The England coach is likely to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but have been included in the group preparing to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that England’s current capacity to break away in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
