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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 aim to secure their first home victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.

Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash

England's head coach got a timely lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.

Current Form Differs with Previous Woes

The home side host the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats came against New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though the Springboks cemented their top ranking, George described the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.

George's Insight on Facing 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 have done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here 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. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.

“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a good team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments

The England coach is likely to make a several adjustments to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both suffered issues against the Islanders but have been selected in the squad getting ready to take on New Zealand.

“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”

The Star's Reflection on Growth

Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches 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 learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”