England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their maiden home victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
England will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and though South Africa secured their number one spot, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
Of the last 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks
“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.
“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, have a clear gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but have been selected in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
The number eight, in addition, thinks that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
