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England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to secure their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Team Updates Before Pivotal Fixture

England's head coach has received a welcome lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.

Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes

England host the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a commanding 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats came against New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.

New Zealand just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep intact, and while the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

Of the last 11 encounters, the team's only victory over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.

The Captain's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” stated 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. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they seem to raise 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 last time. But also, have a clear gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a quality team.”

The Coach's View and Team Changes

Borthwick is likely to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the group getting ready 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 growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable assessment for us.”

Earl's Take on Growth

Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”