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Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.

Team Updates Before Crucial Fixture

England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an injury on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man squad announced on Sunday night.

Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles

The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and though the Springboks secured their top spot, George has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, 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 Twickenham.

George'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 former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do all 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 are a exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to step up a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, develop a defined strategy which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.

“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way 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 closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a good team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Squad Adjustments

Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against the Islanders but have been selected in the group getting ready to face the All Blacks.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable assessment for us.”

Earl's Reflection on Growth

Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s current ability to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”