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Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.

Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture

Steve Borthwick got a welcome boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.

Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles

The home side host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks secured their number one ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 meetings, England's only victory over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.

The Captain's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their history 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 this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.

“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, have a clear gameplan 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 last year for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”

Borthwick's View and Squad Changes

The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great test for us.”

Earl's Take on Progress

The number eight, in addition, thinks that England’s current capacity to break away in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”