England Captain George Demands Set-Piece Improvement Ahead of New Zealand Rematch

Jamie George took over as England captain from his Saracens teammate Owen Farrell following the 2023 Rugby World Cup. England is scheduled to face New Zealand in the Autumn Nations Series on Saturday, 2 November, at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, with a kick-off time of 15:10 GMT. Coverage will be available via live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, as well as live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. England’s captain, Jamie George, has issued a directive to the team’s forward pack, emphasizing that they must not allow New Zealand to dominate the set-piece as they did in their previous encounters. England experienced two Test defeats against the All Blacks in July, during which the New Zealand side demonstrated greater physical strength in crucial aspects of play. Speaking to BBC 5 Live, George stated, “We were disappointed in the summer, we got scrummed and we don’t like being scrummed. We got mauled and we don’t like being mauled. We have made it very clear that that is the end of the England forwards being taken to. We want to make sure we put our authority down in that respect.” Ellis Genge, who was absent from the July matches due to injury, is now fit and set to return to the starting loosehead position for the upcoming rematch this weekend. However, the remaining members of England’s front five will be unchanged. Following the 2-0 series loss in the summer, head coach Steve Borthwick had indicated he was contemplating integrating some players from England’s under-20 World Cup-winning squad into the senior team to strengthen the tighthead side of the front row. This consideration arose as Will Stuart faced increased scrutiny and 37-year-old Dan Cole approached the conclusion of his career. Billy Sella from Bath, Asher Opoku-Fordjour from Sale, and Afolabi Fasogbon from Gloucester all delivered strong performances during that successful age-grade campaign. Notably, Fasogbon also prevailed in an early-season Premiership encounter against Bristol’s Genge. Nevertheless, Borthwick has chosen to retain the experienced players for the present. Stuart, who previously scored two tries in a 25-25 draw when these teams last played at Twickenham, will start on Saturday, while Cole will be among the substitutes. George expressed that the team’s performance in training and their return to Twickenham – their first appearance there since a compelling 23-22 Six Nations victory against Ireland in March – have heightened his anticipation for the upcoming game. He commented, “We performed well out there in New Zealand, didn’t get the results we wanted, but at the same time came away being pretty clear about what we needed to do to win those game. That is what we have to focus on. We don’t know how good we can be and I am really excited about where we are at and what I have seen over the last couple of weeks.” George also mentioned that, in contrast to his teammate Joe Marler, he appreciates the haka, having even tried to imitate the All Blacks’ pre-match challenge during his childhood. He added, “I grew up absolutely loving it. I grew up trying to learn it. It is something I have a huge amount of respect for. I love the theatre that it brings, the atmosphere it generates, the connection with the fans. I think it is brilliant.”