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England's skipper has warned that the team should steer clear of being intimidated by the All Blacks' legendary status if they hope to achieve their first Twickenham victory over the visitors in over a decade this Saturday.

Squad Boost Before Pivotal Clash

England's head coach has received a welcome lift with the versatile back recovering from injury and available for selection since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions tour, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man group revealed on Sunday night.

Current Form Contrasts with Previous Woes

England will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine games with a decisive comfortable win over Fiji, again pulling away in the closing stages. Their current form marks a dramatic shift from 12 months back, when the team endured multiple losses in seven matches, all by narrow margins. Three of those losses came against New Zealand—two on the overseas tour and a tight reverse at home after the fly-half failed with late goal attempts.

New Zealand narrowly edged out Scotland on Saturday to maintain aspirations of a clean sweep intact, and while South Africa secured their top spot, the captain described New Zealand as “arguably the top team in the world.”

Of the last 11 encounters, England's sole win over New Zealand was during the global tournament semi, and the visitors have not been beaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.

The Captain's Perspective on Facing the All Blacks

“What a lot of teams do is stand in admiration of New Zealand with their history and all their incredible players,” stated the experienced hooker. “It’s easy to do that. I have done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at this venue. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do everything we can to come out on top.

“You have to be at your best. The All Blacks are arguably the strongest team in the world right now. They are a unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to step up a gear when they come to 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 gameplan which can put them under as much stress as we possibly can. If we do that, we’ll create a chance.

“We came under a lot of criticism 12 months ago for not emerging on the winning end of tight games and not figuring out how to win. Now, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we solved everything. But we’ve placed a big emphasis on the final phases of games and closing games out. Notching however many tries in the last quarter of the match is a sign of a quality team.”

The Coach's View and Team Adjustments

The England coach is again expected to make a number of adjustments to his lineup, with skipper Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Ford all expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup. Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the squad preparing to take on New Zealand.

“We want to test our mettle against the best teams and [New Zealand] are among best teams,” said Borthwick. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re growing rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure the upcoming going to be a valuable test for us.”

The Star's Take on Growth

Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that England’s present ability to break away in the dying minutes of games is largely due to their three narrow defeats by New Zealand the previous year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve got the scar tissue to build on those setbacks, and they stung at the time,” remarked Earl, who was awarded player of the game against Fiji. “But I question to a man in the changing room, would we have changed our path now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re very, very valuable lessons.”