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Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.

Squad Boost Before Crucial Clash

England's head coach got a timely lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded squad announced on Sunday night.

Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes

England host the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team endured six defeats in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those losses came against the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.

New Zealand just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and though the Springboks cemented their top spot, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 meetings, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.

George's Insight on Facing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to step up a gear when they visit this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. 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 mark of a good team.”

The Coach's View and Team Adjustments

The England coach is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been selected in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great test for us.”

The Star's Take on Progress

The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”