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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their maiden Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.

Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash

Steve Borthwick has received a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.

Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes

England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.

New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and though the Springboks cemented their top ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.

George's Insight on Facing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they seem to step up a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, develop a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a good team.”

Borthwick's View and Team Changes

Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to return to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been selected in the squad preparing to take on the All Blacks.

“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”

Earl's Reflection on Growth

The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”