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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.

Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash

Steve Borthwick has received a welcome lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded group revealed on the weekend.

Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles

England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.

New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and though South Africa secured their top ranking, George described the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.

The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible players,” stated former captain George. “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 this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, have a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.

“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a good team.”

The Coach's View and Team Adjustments

The England coach is likely to make a several changes to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but both have been included in the group preparing to face the All Blacks.

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

Earl's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that England’s present ability 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 battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”