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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their maiden home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.

Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal 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 duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded squad revealed on the weekend.

Recent Performances Contrasts with Past Struggles

England will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.

New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and though South Africa cemented their number one ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”

Of the last 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.

George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.

“It’s vital to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. But also, develop a defined strategy which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.

“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a good team.”

Borthwick's View and Team Changes

Borthwick is again expected to make a several changes to his lineup, with captain the lock, the flanker, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the group preparing to face New Zealand.

“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great assessment for us.”

Earl's Reflection on Growth

Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s present ability to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”