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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 hope to achieve their first home victory over the visitors in 13 years this weekend.

Squad Boost Ahead of Crucial Fixture

England's head coach has received a timely boost with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for his first appearance since suffering an injury on British & Irish Lions duty, while Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck were also named in the expanded group revealed on Sunday night.

Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes

The home side will welcome New Zealand after extending their unbeaten run to nine games with a commanding 38-18 win over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. This strong run stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven matches, all by narrow margins. A trio of these losses were inflicted by New Zealand—during the overseas tour and a tight loss at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.

The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on Saturday to keep aspirations of a home nations grand slam alive, and while South Africa secured their top ranking, the captain described New Zealand as “perhaps the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 encounters, the team's only victory over the All Blacks was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the recent fixtures at Twickenham.

George's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis

“Many sides tend to is sit back in admiration of New Zealand with their legacy and all their incredible talent,” said the experienced hooker. “It’s tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it before. We must remember we’ll be playing at this venue. We’re very proud to be competing at home. We will do everything we can to win that game.

“It’s vital to be at your peak. The All Blacks are without doubt the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an exceptionally skilled squad and they seem to step up a gear when they come to Allianz Stadium. Our focus for us to do is identify where we could have been better in the opening period this week. Additionally, develop a defined strategy which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll create a opportunity.

“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not coming out on the winning end of tight games and not finding a way to win. Currently, we’re doing the complete reverse. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve put a big emphasis on the latter stages of games and closing games out. Scoring however many tries in the final segment of the match is a mark of a good team.”

The Coach's View and Squad Adjustments

The England coach is likely to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to return to the first XV. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each took knocks against the Islanders but have been included in the squad getting ready to face New Zealand.

“We want to challenge ourselves against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “Our team is youthful, we’re developing, I think we’re growing quickly and we’re keen to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great assessment for us.”

Earl's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, meanwhile, believes that England’s current ability to pull clear in the closing stages of matches 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 developed the experience to build on those losses, and they stung at the time,” remarked the back-rower, who was awarded man of the match against the Fijians. “But I question among the squad in the dressing room, would we have changed our path now, with the success that we’re now experiencing? I’d be interested to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”