England Seek Redemption Against Australia After All Blacks Heartbreak
England rugby union team are eager to bounce back from their narrow defeat against New Zealand when they face Australia at Twickenham this Saturday. The hosts had taken the lead against the All Blacks, but ultimately succumbed to a dramatic 22-24 loss in their first autumn international.
England captain Jamie George has urged his players to adopt a fearless and relentless approach against the Wallabies, who they have defeated in 11 of their last 12 meetings. The experienced hooker acknowledged that his team were accused of taking their foot off the gas and “declaring” in the closing stages of the New Zealand clash.
“My messaging to the team, Steve’s messaging the team, we’re going to want to go out and play with courage and be brave and take teams on and never sit back,” said George. “The challenge is, can we continue to do that for 80 minutes?”
The England skipper emphasized the fine line between being “relentless and almost reckless,” but stressed that his side are determined to take the game to Australia and not sit back. He highlighted the fact that England have developed effective set-piece plays, which they will aim to execute with precision to energize the Twickenham crowd.
“We come up with brilliant plans, our coaching team and the senior players, and that [Smith kick] was a set play that we identified. It gets a crowd on our feet a little bit. The more that we can do that, the more that we can then back that up with pressure off the back of clear execution, I think we can overcome a good team.”
George concluded by emphasizing that the team will not be weighed down by the expectations, and they will take the fight to Australia on Saturday, as per the message conveyed throughout the week.
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