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England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first home triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture

Steve Borthwick got a timely lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing featured in the 37-man squad announced on Sunday night.

Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes

The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory 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. Three of those defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at home after the fly-half failed with two late kicks.

New Zealand just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a clean sweep alive, and while the Springboks secured their number one ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”

Of the last 11 meetings, the team's only victory over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors remain unbeaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.

George's Insight on Facing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible talent,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We are going to do everything we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a level when they visit Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the first half this week. But also, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side 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 put 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 quality team.”

Borthwick's View and Squad Adjustments

The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the squad preparing to face the All Blacks.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable assessment for us.”

The Star's Reflection on Progress

Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s present ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the experience to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”