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Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash

Steve Borthwick got a welcome lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group announced on the weekend.

Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes

England host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team endured six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.

New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa cemented their top ranking, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”

Of the last 11 encounters, the team's only victory over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.

The Captain's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be playing here. We will do all we can to come out on top.

“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. But also, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.

“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis 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.”

The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes

The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against the Islanders but have been included in the group preparing to take on the All Blacks.

“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable test for us.”

The Star's Take on Growth

The number eight, meanwhile, believes that England’s current capacity to break away in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”