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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their first Twickenham triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.

Squad Boost Before Crucial Fixture

England's head coach has received a welcome boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the expanded squad announced on Sunday night.

Current Form Differs with Past Struggles

The home side host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England endured multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at Twickenham after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep hopes of a home nations grand slam alive, and though South Africa cemented their number one ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent clashes 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,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. 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 arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the opening period last time. Additionally, develop a defined strategy which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching however many tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a good team.”

The Coach's View and Squad Changes

The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but have been included in the squad getting ready to face the All Blacks.

“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable test for us.”

The Star's Reflection on Growth

The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that England’s current ability to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”