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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first home victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Squad Boost Before Crucial Clash

Steve Borthwick got a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture 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 will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England endured multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.

New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and though the Springboks secured their number one ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, 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 England's home ground.

George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis

“Many sides tend to is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at this venue. We’re very proud to be playing here. We will do everything we can to come out on top.

“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. Additionally, develop a defined strategy which can apply 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 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a quality team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes

Borthwick is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group getting ready to face the All Blacks.

“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great test for us.”

Earl's Reflection on Progress

The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”