Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their maiden Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded group revealed on the weekend.
Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes
The home side host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats came against New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa secured their number one ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, the team's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
George's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they appear to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, develop a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure 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 finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”
Borthwick's View and Squad Changes
Borthwick is again expected to make a several adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the squad getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among 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 the upcoming going to be a great test for us.”
The Star's Take on Progress
The number eight, in addition, thinks that the team's current ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”
