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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their maiden home victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.

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 suffering an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded squad announced on Sunday night.

Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles

The home side host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.

New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.

George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.

“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a good team.”

Borthwick's Outlook and Team Changes

Borthwick is likely to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer both suffered issues against Fiji but both have been selected in the squad getting ready to take on New Zealand.

“We aim 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 growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great test for us.”

The Star's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s current capacity to break away in the closing stages 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 developed the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”