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Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.

Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture

England's head coach got a welcome boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for selection since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.

Current Form Differs with Previous Woes

England host the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half missed two late kicks.

The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa secured their number one ranking, the captain described the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”

Of the last 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.

George's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do all 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 right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to step up a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a clear strategy which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a quality team.”

Borthwick's View and Team Adjustments

The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. The wing and the newcomer each took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.

“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable test for us.”

The Star's Reflection on Growth

Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present ability to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”