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Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first home triumph over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.

Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash

Steve Borthwick has received a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man group announced on Sunday night.

Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes

England host the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks.

New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.

The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do everything we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, 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 multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”

The Coach's View and Team Adjustments

Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the squad preparing to face the All Blacks.

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

Earl's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's present capacity to break away in the dying minutes 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 experience to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”