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

Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash

England's head coach has received a welcome lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.

Current Form Differs with Previous Woes

The home side will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England endured multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.

New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa secured their top spot, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.

The Captain's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their incredible players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.

“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, develop a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.

“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a good team.”

Borthwick's Outlook and Team Changes

Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been included in the squad preparing to take on the All Blacks.

“We aim to challenge ourselves 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 great assessment for us.”

The Star's Take on Progress

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 the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”