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Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.

Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture

Steve Borthwick has received a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man squad announced on Sunday night.

Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes

England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.

The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on the weekend to keep hopes of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa secured their number one ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”

Of the last 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 Twickenham.

The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do all we can to come out on top.

“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to raise a gear when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, have a defined strategy which can apply as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all 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 last quarter of the match is a sign of a good team.”

The Coach's View and Team Changes

Borthwick is again expected to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the group preparing to face New Zealand.

“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable test for us.”

The Star's Take on Growth

Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s current capacity to break away in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, 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 named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”