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 maiden home victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Past Struggles
England will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England endured multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on Saturday to maintain hopes of a clean sweep intact, and though the Springboks cemented their top ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they appear to raise a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. But also, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated 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 New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
