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Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash

England's head coach has received a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man group announced on Sunday night.

Current Form Differs with Past Struggles

The home side host the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive 38-18 victory 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, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.

New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to keep hopes of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa secured their top spot, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”

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

George's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. But also, have a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”

Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Adjustments

The England coach is again expected to make a several changes to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the squad preparing to face New Zealand.

“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable assessment for us.”

The Star's Reflection on Progress

Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's current ability to break away in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”