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Jamie George has cautioned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this weekend.

Team Updates Before Pivotal Clash

England's head coach has received a welcome boost with the versatile back returning to fitness and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.

Current Form Differs with Previous Woes

The home side host New Zealand after stretching their unbeaten run to nine matches with a commanding comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the closing stages. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when England suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those defeats came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 loss at Twickenham after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to maintain aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa secured their number one ranking, George described the All Blacks as “arguably the top team in the world.”

Of the last 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 fixtures at Twickenham.

George's Insight on Facing the Kiwis

“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their history and all their incredible talent,” stated former captain George. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be playing at Allianz Stadium. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We are going to do all we can to win that game.

“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they appear to raise a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. Additionally, have a clear gameplan which can apply as much pressure as we are able to. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“We came under a bit of heat 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of close contests and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. Not at all have we cracked it. But we’ve placed a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a good team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Team Adjustments

The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, the flanker, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer each took knocks against Fiji but have been selected in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.

“We aim to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those best teams,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, 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 Take on Growth

The number eight, meanwhile, thinks that England’s current ability to pull clear in the dying minutes of matches owes much to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question to a man in the dressing room, if we’d alter our journey now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”