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England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.

Team Updates Ahead of Pivotal Fixture

England's head coach has received a welcome lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.

Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles

The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a commanding 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks.

New Zealand just defeated Scotland on the weekend to keep hopes of a clean sweep alive, and though South Africa secured their number one spot, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.

George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible players,” said 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 competing at home. We will do everything we can to come out on top.

“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they appear to raise 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, develop a defined gameplan which can apply 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 coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Squad Adjustments

The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group getting ready to face the All Blacks.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great test for us.”

The Star's Take on Growth

The number eight, in addition, thinks that England’s current ability to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”