Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture
England's head coach has received a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded group announced on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes
England will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats came against New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks.
The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa secured their number one ranking, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.
The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here 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 best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they seem to step up a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. But also, have a clear gameplan 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 bit of heat last year for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a quality team.”
The Coach's View and Squad Changes
Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with captain the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been selected in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable assessment for us.”
The Star's Take on Growth
The number eight, in addition, believes that England’s present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”
