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Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.

Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture

Steve Borthwick got a timely boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded group announced on Sunday night.

Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes

The home side host the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.

New Zealand just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and though South Africa secured their number one ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 meetings, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.

George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.

“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a gear when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.

“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”

Borthwick's Outlook and Team Changes

Borthwick is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer both suffered issues against the Islanders but have been included in the squad preparing to face New Zealand.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”

The Star's Take on Progress

The number eight, meanwhile, believes that England’s present ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, 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 awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”