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Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their first home triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.

Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture

England's head coach has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded squad revealed on Sunday night.

Current Form Differs with Previous Woes

England will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks.

New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa cemented their number one ranking, George described the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 meetings, England's only victory over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.

The Captain's Insight on Playing the Kiwis

“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. 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 peak. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half last time. But also, develop a clear gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus 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.”

Borthwick's Outlook and Team Changes

The England coach is likely to make a several changes to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford 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 face New Zealand.

“We aim to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”

Earl's Take on Growth

Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”