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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.

Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Clash

England's head coach got a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded group revealed on the weekend.

Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes

England will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England endured multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.

The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks cemented their top spot, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”

Of the last 11 encounters, the team's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.

George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis

“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. 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 everything we can to come out on top.

“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, have a clear gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.

“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a good team.”

Borthwick's View and Squad Adjustments

Borthwick is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the squad preparing to take on the All Blacks.

“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable test for us.”

The Star's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that England’s current ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”