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Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture

England's head coach has received a timely lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.

Current Form Differs with Past Struggles

England host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford failed with two late kicks.

New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks secured their top ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”

Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.

George's Insight on Facing the Kiwis

“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to win that game.

“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.

“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a good team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments

Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been included in the group preparing to face New Zealand.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable test for us.”

The Star's Take on Growth

Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's current capacity to break away in the closing stages of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” said Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing 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 extremely valuable lessons.”