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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.

Team Updates Before Crucial Fixture

England's head coach got a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded group revealed on the weekend.

Current Form Differs with Past Struggles

England host New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after George Ford failed with two late kicks.

New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain hopes of a clean sweep intact, and though the Springboks secured their number one spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team 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 New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.

The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks

“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to win that game.

“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they seem to raise a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, have a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

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

The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments

Borthwick is again expected to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated 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 aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” 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 the upcoming going to be a valuable test for us.”

Earl's Reflection on Progress

The number eight, in addition, thinks that England’s present ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”