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Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.

Squad Boost Before Crucial Fixture

Steve Borthwick has received a timely lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded group announced on Sunday night.

Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles

England host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team endured multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.

New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa cemented their top ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.

The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” 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 win that game.

“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they seem to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we might have improved in the first half last time. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We came under a lot of criticism 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 complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a quality team.”

The Coach's View and Squad Changes

The England coach is likely to make a several changes to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but have been selected in the squad preparing to take on the All Blacks.

“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 improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great test for us.”

The Star's Take on Growth

The number eight, meanwhile, believes that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”