🔗 Share this article

England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.

Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture

England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded group announced on the weekend.

Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles

The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.

The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and though the Springboks cemented their top ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”

Of the last 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.

The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis

“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up 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. But also, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.

“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the final phases 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 View and Squad Adjustments

Borthwick is again expected to make a several adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all expected to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both took knocks against the Islanders but have been included in the squad getting ready to face the All Blacks.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”

The Star's Reflection on Growth

Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's present capacity to break away in the closing stages of games owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”