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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first home victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.

Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture

Steve Borthwick has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.

Current Form Differs with Previous Woes

The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England endured multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.

New Zealand just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa secured their top ranking, the captain described the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five clashes at Twickenham.

The Captain's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks

“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have 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 will do everything we can to win that game.

“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they seem to raise a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. But also, develop a clear strategy which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.

“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a good team.”

Borthwick's View and Squad Adjustments

Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but both have been selected in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.

“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented 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 great assessment for us.”

Earl's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present ability to break away in the closing stages of games owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue 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 journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”