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 secure their first home triumph over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture
England's head coach has received a welcome lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for selection since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man group announced on Sunday night.
Current Form Differs with Previous Woes
England host the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team endured multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and though the Springboks cemented their top ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks was during 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
“Many sides tend to is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” 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 Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to 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 right now. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to step up a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, have a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments
The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against the Islanders but have been selected in the group preparing to take on New Zealand.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great assessment for us.”
Earl's Take on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s current ability to pull clear 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 been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”