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England's skipper has warned that the team must avoid being overwhelmed by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they aim to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Clash

England's head coach got a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since suffering an arm fracture on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and the wing featured in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.

Current Form Differs with Past Struggles

The home side will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 victory over Fiji, again pulling away in the final quarter. This strong run marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team suffered multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these defeats were inflicted by New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after George Ford missed late goal attempts.

The All Blacks narrowly edged out Scotland on the weekend to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa cemented their top spot, the captain has hailed New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, England's only victory over New Zealand was during the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.

The Captain's Perspective on Facing the Kiwis

“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of the All Blacks with their legacy and all their incredible players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I have done it before. 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. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They are a exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to step up a gear when they visit this stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the opening period this week. But also, develop a defined strategy which can put them under as much pressure as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.

“We came under a bit of heat last year for not coming out on the right side of close contests 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 however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”

Borthwick's View and Team Changes

The England coach is again expected to make a number of changes to his side, with captain the lock, Tom Curry, and the fly-half all expected to return to the starting lineup. The wing and the newcomer both suffered issues against Fiji but have been included in the group getting ready to take on the All Blacks.

“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among elite squads,” said the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re evolving, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming will be a valuable assessment for us.”

The Star's Reflection on Progress

Ben Earl, in addition, believes that the team's current ability to pull clear in the closing stages of games is largely due to their triple close losses by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel battle-hardened, you feel like you’ve got the wounds, you’ve got the scar tissue to learn from those setbacks, and they hurt at the time,” remarked Earl, who was named man of the match against the Fijians. “But I wonder to a man in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re now enjoying? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re very, very priceless lessons.”