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

Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash

Steve Borthwick got a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded group announced on the weekend.

Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles

England host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear 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. Three of those losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight reverse at home after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain hopes of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa secured their number one ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”

Of the last 11 encounters, the team's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.

George's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be playing here. We will do everything we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they seem to raise a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a good team.”

Borthwick's View and Squad Adjustments

The England coach is again expected to make a several changes to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the squad getting ready to take on New Zealand.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a great assessment for us.”

The Star's Reflection on Progress

The number eight, meanwhile, believes that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”