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Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their maiden home victory over the visitors in over a decade this weekend.

Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash

England's head coach got a timely boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group announced on Sunday night.

Recent Performances Contrasts with Past Struggles

The home side host the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when the team suffered six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at home after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.

The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on Saturday to maintain hopes of a clean sweep alive, and though the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, England'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 Insight on Facing the All Blacks

“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to win that game.

“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the best side in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure 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 winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a good team.”

The Coach's View and Team Changes

Borthwick is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the group preparing to face the All Blacks.

“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”

Earl's Take on Growth

Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”