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England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture

Steve Borthwick has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded squad announced on Sunday night.

Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles

The home side host New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. Three of those losses came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight reverse at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.

The All Blacks just defeated Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks cemented their top ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

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

George's Insight on Facing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their history 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 back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.

“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they appear to raise a level when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a sign of a quality team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments

The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but have been selected in the group preparing to take on the All Blacks.

“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable test for us.”

Earl's Reflection on Progress

Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s current ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”