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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 achieve their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.

Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Clash

England's head coach got a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded group announced on Sunday night.

Current Form Differs with Past Struggles

The home side host the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after George Ford failed with two late kicks.

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

Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.

George's Insight on Playing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do everything 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 exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the first half last time. But also, have a clear gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We came under a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a good team.”

The Coach's View and Team Adjustments

The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all expected to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both suffered issues against Fiji but have been included in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.

“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable test for us.”

Earl's Reflection on Progress

Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches owes much to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”