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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first home victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.

Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Clash

England's head coach has received a welcome lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.

Recent Performances Contrasts with Previous Woes

The home side host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team endured six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after the fly-half missed two late kicks.

New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while South Africa secured their top ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”

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

The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they seem to step up a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us is is identify where we might have improved in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.

“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a good team.”

Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Adjustments

The England coach is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.

“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”

Earl's Take on Progress

The number eight, meanwhile, believes that England’s present capacity to break away in the closing stages of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”