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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to secure their first home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.

Team Updates Before Crucial Clash

England's head coach has received a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing were also named in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.

Current Form Differs with Past Struggles

England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered six defeats in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after the fly-half missed two late kicks.

New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and though the Springboks secured their number one ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

Of the last 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.

George's Insight on Playing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the best side in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we might have improved in the first half last time. But also, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.

“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a sign of a good team.”

The Coach's View and Squad Changes

Borthwick is likely to make a number of adjustments to his side, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the first XV. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group preparing to take on the All Blacks.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great assessment for us.”

Earl's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's current capacity to break away in the closing stages of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against Fiji. “But I question 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 valuable lessons.”