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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their first home victory over the visitors in 13 years this Saturday.

Squad Boost Before Crucial Fixture

England's head coach has received a welcome boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.

Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles

England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a commanding comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after George Ford missed late goal attempts.

New Zealand just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and though the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side 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 have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.

The Captain's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is stand 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 have done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.

“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we might have improved in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a defined gameplan which can apply as much pressure 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 emerging on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a quality team.”

Borthwick's View and Team Changes

Borthwick is again expected to make a several adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all set to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both took knocks against the Islanders but have been included in the squad getting ready to face the All Blacks.

“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented 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 will be a valuable test for us.”

The Star's Take on Growth

Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got 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 among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”