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Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Team Updates Before Pivotal Fixture

England's head coach has received a welcome lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.

Recent Performances Contrasts with Previous Woes

The home side host the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. 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 the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.

The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and though South Africa secured their number one ranking, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.

George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.

“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we might have improved in the opening period last time. But also, have a clear strategy which can apply as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a quality team.”

Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Changes

The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with captain the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each suffered issues against Fiji but have been included in the squad 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 improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable test for us.”

Earl's Take on Progress

The number eight, meanwhile, believes that the team's current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, would we have changed 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.”