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Jamie George has cautioned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Team Updates Before Crucial Fixture

England's head coach got a timely lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and in contention for selection since suffering an arm fracture on Lions tour, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.

Recent Performances Contrasts with Previous Woes

The home side will welcome the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered six defeats in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against New Zealand—during the 2024 summer tour and a tight loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.

New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a clean sweep alive, and while South Africa cemented their top ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “perhaps the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, England's sole win over the All Blacks came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.

George's Insight on Playing the All Blacks

“Many sides tend to is stand in awe of New Zealand with their history and all their world-class players,” stated the experienced hooker. “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 playing here. We are going to do all we can to win that game.

“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to raise 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. Additionally, have a defined gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.

“We came under a bit of heat last year for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a mark of a good team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments

Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each suffered issues against Fiji but have been selected in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable assessment for us.”

Earl's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's present ability to break away in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks last year. “It leaves you seasoned, as if 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 awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man 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 very, very priceless lessons.”