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

Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash

England's head coach got a timely lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the expanded group announced on Sunday night.

Current Form Differs with Past Struggles

The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England endured multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with two late kicks.

The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and though South Africa secured their number one spot, the captain described the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, the team's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.

The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks

“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” said former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to come out on top.

“You have 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 raise a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half last time. Additionally, have a clear gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”

The Coach's View and Team Changes

The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to return to the first XV. The wing and the newcomer each suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been included in the squad getting ready to take on the All Blacks.

“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great assessment for us.”

The Star's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's present ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”