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Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.

Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash

England's head coach has received a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man group announced on Sunday night.

Recent Performances Contrasts with Past Struggles

The home side host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half missed two late kicks.

The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and though South Africa secured their number one spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

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

The Captain's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis

“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing 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. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is identify where we might have improved in the first half this week. But also, develop a clear gameplan which can apply as much stress as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.

“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. 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 last quarter of that game is a mark of a good team.”

Borthwick's View and Squad Adjustments

Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but both have been selected in the squad preparing to take on 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 next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”

The Star's Take on Progress

The number eight, in addition, believes that England’s current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”