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

Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash

England's head coach got a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded squad revealed on Sunday night.

Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles

The home side host 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. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks secured their top spot, George has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.

George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks

“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.

“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt 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 come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, develop a clear strategy which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.

“We faced a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”

Borthwick's View and Team Changes

Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against the Islanders but have been included in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, 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 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 the All Blacks last year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”