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Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.

Squad Boost Before Crucial Fixture

Steve Borthwick has received a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded group announced on the weekend.

Current Form Differs with Past Struggles

The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.

New Zealand just defeated Scotland on the weekend to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and though the Springboks cemented their number one spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.

The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they seem to step up a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us is is identify where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a clear gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a quality team.”

The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments

The England coach is likely to make a several changes to his side, with captain the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each 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 among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”

The Star's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's current capacity to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”