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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 hope to secure their maiden Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.

Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Fixture

England's head coach got a timely boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded squad announced on Sunday night.

Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes

England host New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team suffered six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.

The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and though South Africa secured their top ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.

George's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks

“Many sides tend to is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.

“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to step up a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, develop a clear gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.

“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago 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 put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”

The Coach's View and Squad Changes

Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer each took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the squad preparing to face New Zealand.

“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great test for us.”

The Star's Take on Growth

Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”