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Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their maiden Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Squad Boost Before Crucial Fixture

England's head coach has received a timely boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the expanded squad revealed on the weekend.

Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles

The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. 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 losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.

New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa secured their top spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, the team's sole win over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.

The Captain's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis

“Many sides tend to is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do everything we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they seem to raise a level when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.

“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”

Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Changes

The England coach is again expected to make a several changes to his lineup, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the squad getting ready to take on the All Blacks.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great test for us.”

Earl's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's present ability to break away in the closing stages of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”