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England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to secure their maiden Twickenham triumph over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Team Updates Before Crucial Clash

Steve Borthwick has received a timely boost with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for selection since sustaining an injury on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded squad announced on the weekend.

Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles

England will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after the fly-half missed late goal attempts.

New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while the Springboks secured their number one ranking, George 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 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at Twickenham.

The Captain's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis

“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible talent,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We’ve also got to be aware 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 win that game.

“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are without doubt the best side in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to raise a gear when they come to this stadium. Our focus for us is is identify where we might have improved in the first half last time. But also, have a defined strategy which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Team Changes

The England coach is again expected to make a several adjustments to his lineup, with captain the lock, the flanker, and the fly-half all set to return to the first XV. The wing and the newcomer each took knocks against the Islanders but have been selected in the group preparing to take on New Zealand.

“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving quickly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great assessment for us.”

The Star's Take on Growth

The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those losses, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”