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Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.

Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Fixture

England's head coach got a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded group announced on Sunday night.

Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles

The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at home after George Ford failed with two late kicks.

New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and though the Springboks secured their top ranking, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.

The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do everything we can to come out on top.

“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we could have been better in the opening period last time. But also, develop a clear gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put 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 Team Adjustments

The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group preparing to face New Zealand.

“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable test for us.”

The Star's Take on Growth

Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's current ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”