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Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture

England's head coach got a timely boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.

Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles

England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.

The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks secured their number one spot, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.

George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, have a defined strategy which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a quality team.”

Borthwick's Outlook and Team Adjustments

The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the squad preparing to take on the All Blacks.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable test for us.”

Earl's Reflection on Progress

Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”