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Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.

Squad Boost Before Crucial Fixture

Steve Borthwick got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded squad announced on Sunday night.

Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles

The home side 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 closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after the fly-half missed two late kicks.

New Zealand just defeated Scotland on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and while the Springboks secured their top spot, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.

The Captain's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their history 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 this venue. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.

“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a level 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 clear gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We faced a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a good team.”

Borthwick's View and Team Changes

Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to return to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer both suffered issues against Fiji but have been included in the group preparing to face New Zealand.

“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “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 will be a great test for us.”

The Star's Reflection on Growth

Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing 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 valuable lessons.”