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England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.

Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture

Steve Borthwick has received a welcome lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the 37-man squad revealed on the weekend.

Recent Performances Contrasts with Previous Woes

England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.

New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa cemented their top ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”

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

The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. 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 arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period this week. But also, have a defined strategy which can apply as much stress as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out 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 placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a quality team.”

The Coach's View and Team Changes

The England coach is likely to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable test for us.”

Earl's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, 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 curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”