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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first home triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.

Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Clash

Steve Borthwick got a timely boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded group announced on the weekend.

Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles

England will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team endured six defeats in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.

New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa secured their number one spot, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.

George's Insight on Facing the All Blacks

“Many sides tend to 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’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a level when they visit this 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 defined strategy which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We faced a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed 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 mark of a quality team.”

Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Adjustments

The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.

“We aim 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 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 Reflection on Progress

Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand last year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to build on those setbacks, and they stung 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, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”