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Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.

Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture

England's head coach got a timely lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded squad announced on Sunday night.

Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles

England host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain hopes of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa secured their number one ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over New Zealand 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 Insight on Playing the Kiwis

“Many sides tend to 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 before. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. 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. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to raise a gear when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We faced a bit of heat 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 solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality 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 set to return to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer both took knocks against the Islanders but have been selected in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.

“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable test for us.”

The Star's Take on Growth

The number eight, meanwhile, believes that the team's current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”