England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first home victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach got a timely lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
England host New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over New Zealand 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 Perspective on Facing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to come out on top.
“It’s vital to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we might have improved in the first half last time. Additionally, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against Fiji but both have been selected in the squad getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those 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 great assessment for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Growth
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
