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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 achieve their maiden home victory over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.

Squad Boost Before Crucial Clash

England's head coach has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.

Current Form Differs with Past Struggles

The home side will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed two late kicks.

New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while South Africa secured their number one ranking, the captain described 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 global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.

George's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks

“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to come out on top.

“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we could have been better in the opening period this week. But also, have a clear strategy which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.

“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”

Borthwick's View and Squad Changes

The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and the newcomer both suffered issues 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 one of those best teams,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great test for us.”

The Star's Reflection on Progress

The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that England’s present ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”