England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their maiden home victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.
Team Updates Before Crucial Clash
England's head coach has received a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded squad revealed on the weekend.
Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles
The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with two late kicks.
The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a clean sweep alive, and though South Africa cemented their number one spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”
In the previous 11 meetings, England's only victory over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.
The Captain's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis
“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” 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. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.
“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the first half this week. But also, have a defined strategy which can apply as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.
“We came under a bit of heat last year for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a good team.”
Borthwick's Outlook and Team Adjustments
Borthwick is likely to make a several adjustments to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both suffered issues against Fiji but have been included in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.
“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented the head coach. “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 going to be a valuable test for us.”
Earl's Take on Growth
The number eight, meanwhile, believes that the team's present ability to break away in the dying minutes of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question 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 interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”
