Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their first home victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team suffered six defeats in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated Scotland on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks cemented their top spot, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.
George's Insight on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt 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 Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, develop a clear gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's View and Team Adjustments
The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both 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 among best teams,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
