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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.

Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash

England's head coach got a welcome boost with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man group announced on Sunday night.

Current Form Differs with Past Struggles

England will welcome New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from a year ago, when England suffered six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after George Ford missed two late kicks.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks cemented their number one ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”

Of the last 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.

The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be playing here. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.

“It’s vital to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they appear to step up a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the first half this week. Additionally, have a clear strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the final phases of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a good team.”

The Coach's View and Team Adjustments

The England coach is likely to make a several changes to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against the Islanders but have been selected in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.

“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”

The Star's Take on Progress

The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that the team's current ability to pull clear in the closing stages of matches is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from 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 dressing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re sometimes experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”