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England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.

Team Updates Ahead of Crucial Fixture

Steve Borthwick has received a timely lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group announced on the weekend.

Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes

England host New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team suffered six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.

New Zealand just defeated Scotland on the weekend to maintain hopes of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa secured their top ranking, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “arguably the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 meetings, the team's sole win over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at England's home ground.

The Captain's Insight on Facing the Kiwis

“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” stated 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. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do everything we can to come out on top.

“You have to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the first half last time. But also, have a clear gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We came under a lot of criticism last year for not coming out on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. 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 multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”

The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments

Borthwick is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the squad preparing to face New Zealand.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great test for us.”

The Star's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “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 curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”