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Jamie George has cautioned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their maiden home victory over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.

Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash

England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded group announced on Sunday night.

Recent Performances Contrasts with Previous Woes

England host the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a decisive 38-18 win over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on the weekend to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, George described the All Blacks as “perhaps the top team in the world.”

Of the last 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.

George's Perspective on Playing the All Blacks

“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class talent,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.

“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they seem to step up a level when they come to Allianz 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 gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Team Changes

Borthwick is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer each suffered issues against Fiji but both have been selected in the squad preparing to face the All Blacks.

“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” 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 will be a great assessment for us.”

Earl's Reflection on Growth

Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that the team's current ability to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses 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 setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re sometimes enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely priceless lessons.”