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 triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash
England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team endured six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with two late kicks.
New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa cemented their number one spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware 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 win that game.
“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to step up a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the opening period this week. But also, develop a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.
“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a good team.”
The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with captain the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against the Islanders but have been selected in the group getting ready to face the All Blacks.
“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said Borthwick. “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 going to be a great test for us.”
The Star's Reflection on Progress
Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's current ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, 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 path now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”
