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Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.

Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Fixture

England's head coach has received a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.

Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes

England host the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks cemented their top spot, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.

George's Insight on Facing the All Blacks

“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.

“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to step up a gear when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, have a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a quality team.”

The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments

The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been included in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.

“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable assessment for us.”

The Star's Reflection on Progress

Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's present ability to pull clear in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”