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Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their maiden home victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.

Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture

England's head coach has received a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded squad revealed on the weekend.

Current Form Differs with Past Struggles

England host the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at home after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.

New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks cemented their number one spot, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.

George's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is 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 are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.

“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging 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 final phases of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a good team.”

Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Adjustments

Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each suffered issues against the Islanders but have been included in the group preparing to take on New Zealand.

“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable test for us.”

The Star's Take on Growth

The number eight, in addition, believes that England’s present ability to pull clear in the closing stages of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”