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England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.

Squad Boost Before Crucial Clash

Steve Borthwick got a timely lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man group revealed on the weekend.

Recent Performances Differs with Past Struggles

The home side host the All Blacks after extending their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over the Pacific Islanders, again pulling away in the closing stages. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven outings, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—two on the 2024 summer tour and a tight reverse at home after George Ford failed with late goal attempts.

New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and though South Africa secured their top ranking, George described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over the All Blacks came in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand have not been beaten in the recent clashes at Twickenham.

The Captain's Insight on Playing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is stand in awe of the All Blacks with their history and all their world-class players,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it before. We’ve also got to be aware we’ll be playing at this venue. It’s an honour to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to come out on top.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They are a exceptionally skilled team and they appear to step up a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, have a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.

“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. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Notching multiple tries in the final segment of that game is a mark of a quality team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Squad Changes

Borthwick is likely to make a several changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both took knocks against Fiji but both have been included in the group getting ready to take on New Zealand.

“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s going to be a great assessment for us.”

Earl's Reflection on Growth

The number eight, meanwhile, believes that the team's present capacity to break away in the dying minutes of matches is largely due to their triple close losses by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to build on 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 dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”