England's captain Cautions Squad Against Sit Back at All Blacks' Aura

Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.

Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture

England's head coach has received a welcome boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for selection since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.

Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles

The home side will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.

New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and while the Springboks secured their top ranking, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

Of the last 11 meetings, England's only victory over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes 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 history and all their incredible players,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have 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.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, develop a clear strategy which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a quality team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Team Changes

The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been included in the squad getting ready to face the All Blacks.

“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, 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 Progress

The number eight, meanwhile, believes that England’s present capacity to break away in the closing stages of games owes much 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 experience to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”