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England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first home victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.

Squad Boost Before Crucial Clash

England's head coach got a timely boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded squad announced on Sunday night.

Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles

The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a commanding comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team suffered six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with two late kicks.

New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks cemented their top spot, the captain described the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”

Of the last 11 encounters, England's sole win over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.

George's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to win that game.

“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we might have improved in the opening period last time. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a good team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Squad Adjustments

The England coach is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great assessment for us.”

The Star's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's current ability to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing 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 very, very priceless lessons.”