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Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their first home victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture

Steve Borthwick got a welcome lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded group announced on the weekend.

Recent Performances Contrasts with Past Struggles

England will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa cemented their top ranking, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

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

The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their incredible players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do all we can to win that game.

“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the first half last time. But also, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a quality team.”

Borthwick's View and Squad Adjustments

The England coach is likely to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer each took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the squad preparing to take on the All Blacks.

“We want to test our mettle 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 improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”

Earl's Take on Progress

The number eight, in addition, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”