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Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.

Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash

England's head coach has received a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded squad revealed on the weekend.

Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes

The home side host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.

New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa secured their number one spot, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.

The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks

“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history 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 back here at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.

“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us is is identify where we could have been better in the opening period this week. But also, have a clear gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a good team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Team Changes

Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.

“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great assessment for us.”

The Star's Reflection on Growth

The number eight, 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, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”