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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side must avoid being overwhelmed by the All Blacks' legendary status if they aim to achieve their maiden home triumph over the Kiwis in 13 years this weekend.

Squad Boost Before Pivotal Fixture

Steve Borthwick has received a timely boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and the wing were also named in the 37-man squad announced on the weekend.

Recent Performances Differs with Previous Woes

The home side host New Zealand after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a commanding 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from 12 months back, when the team suffered six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after George Ford failed with two late kicks.

New Zealand just defeated Scotland on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa cemented their number one ranking, George has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”

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

The Captain's Insight on Facing the All Blacks

“Many sides tend to is stand in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible players,” stated former captain George. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to come out on top.

“You have to be at your peak. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They’re an unbelievably fantastic team and they appear to step up a level when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we could have been better in the opening period last time. But also, develop a defined gameplan which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a opportunity.

“We faced a bit of heat 12 months ago for not emerging on the right side of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the final segment of the match is a sign of a quality team.”

Borthwick's View and Squad Adjustments

The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with captain Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and the newcomer each suffered issues against Fiji but have been included in the group getting ready to face New Zealand.

“We want to challenge ourselves against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said Borthwick. “Our team is youthful, we’re evolving, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a great assessment for us.”

The Star's Reflection on Progress

The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that the team's current capacity to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks last year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to build on those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named player of the game against Fiji. “But I wonder among the squad in the changing room, would we have changed our journey now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”