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England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Fixture

Steve Borthwick has received a timely lift with the versatile back returning to fitness and available for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded squad announced on Sunday night.

Recent Performances Contrasts with Past Struggles

England will welcome New Zealand after extending their winning streak to nine games with a commanding comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England endured multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after George Ford failed with two late kicks.

New Zealand narrowly edged out the Scots on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks cemented their top ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the last five clashes at England's home ground.

The Captain's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is sit back 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 in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We will do all we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your best. New Zealand are without doubt the best side in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to step up a level when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us is is work out where we might have improved in the first half last time. But also, develop 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 winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a good team.”

Borthwick's Outlook and Squad Adjustments

Borthwick is likely to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against the Islanders but both have been included in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.

“We aim to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a valuable test for us.”

The Star's Take on Growth

Ben Earl, in addition, believes that England’s current capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand last year. “It leaves you battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those losses, and they hurt at the time,” said Earl, who was awarded player of the game against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”