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Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.

Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture

England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.

Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles

England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and though the Springboks secured their number one spot, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.

The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have 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 competing at home. We will do all we can to come out on top.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they appear to raise a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.

“We came under a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”

The Coach's View and Team Adjustments

The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the squad preparing to face the All Blacks.

“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”

The Star's Take on Growth

Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's current capacity to break away in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”