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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 aim to achieve their maiden home victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.

Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture

England's head coach got a timely lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since suffering an injury on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.

Recent Performances Contrasts with Previous Woes

The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team endured multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain hopes of a clean sweep alive, and though South Africa cemented their top ranking, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.

The Captain's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to win that game.

“It’s vital 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 seem to step up a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, have a clear strategy which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.

“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a good team.”

The Coach's View and Team Changes

Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against the Islanders but have been selected in the group preparing to face the All Blacks.

“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, 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 Reflection on Progress

Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s current ability to pull clear in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”