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Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first home victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this Saturday.

Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash

England's head coach got a welcome lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.

Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles

England will welcome the All Blacks after extending their unbeaten run 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 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, each by fine margins. Three of those defeats came against New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half missed two late kicks.

New Zealand just defeated the Scots on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and though the Springboks cemented their top ranking, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.

George's Insight on Playing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do all we can to come out on top.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to raise a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a clear gameplan which can apply as much stress as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We faced a lot of criticism last year for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the final phases of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a quality team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Squad Adjustments

The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer both took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.

“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great test for us.”

Earl's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games owes much 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 experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”