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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.

Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture

Steve Borthwick got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.

Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles

The home side host the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured 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 narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa cemented their number one spot, the captain described the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”

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

The Captain's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “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. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the first half this week. But also, have a clear strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”

The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments

Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against the Islanders but both have been included in the group preparing to take on the All Blacks.

“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great assessment for us.”

Earl's Reflection on Growth

The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”