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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 first Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash

England's head coach got a timely lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.

Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles

The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.

New Zealand just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, George described the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

Of the last 11 meetings, England's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.

George's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks

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

“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, develop a defined strategy which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a good team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes

Borthwick is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but have been included in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.

“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable assessment for us.”

The Star's Take on Progress

The number eight, in addition, believes that the team's current ability to pull clear in the closing stages of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”