Jamie George Warns Squad Against Sit Back at All Blacks' Aura

England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their maiden home victory over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.

Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash

England's head coach got a welcome lift with Elliot Daly returning to fitness and available for selection since sustaining an injury on British & Irish Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the expanded group revealed on the weekend.

Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles

The home side will welcome New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a decisive comfortable victory over Fiji, romping clear in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after the fly-half missed two late kicks.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam intact, and though the Springboks secured their top ranking, George has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent clashes at England's home ground.

The Captain's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis

“What a lot of teams do is sit back in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” said former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be playing here. We will do everything we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. New Zealand are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to raise a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the opening period last time. But also, have a clear gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we are able to. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We faced a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a strong focus on the final phases of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments

Borthwick is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to return to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each took knocks against Fiji but have been included in the group preparing to take on New Zealand.

“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a valuable assessment for us.”

The Star's Reflection on Growth

Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games owes much to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing 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.”