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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.

Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash

England's head coach got a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.

Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes

England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a clean sweep intact, and though South Africa secured their number one spot, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.

The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis

“Many sides tend to is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”

Borthwick's View and Team Changes

Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each suffered issues against Fiji but have been included in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.

“We want 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 eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable assessment for us.”

Earl's Take on Growth

Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's current ability to break away in the closing stages of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”