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Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first home triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.

Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture

England's head coach has received a welcome lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.

Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles

The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those losses came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.

New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks secured their number one ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”

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

George's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their world-class talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, have a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the final phases of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a good team.”

Borthwick's Outlook and Team Adjustments

Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his lineup, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the group getting ready to face the All Blacks.

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

Earl's Reflection on Progress

Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”