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England's skipper has warned that Steve Borthwick's side should steer clear of being intimidated by New Zealand's formidable reputation if they hope to achieve their first home triumph over the Kiwis in over a decade this Saturday.

Squad Boost Ahead of Pivotal Clash

Steve Borthwick has received a welcome lift with Elliot Daly recovering from injury and in contention for his first appearance since sustaining an arm fracture on Lions duty, while the full-back and Tom Roebuck featured in the 37-man squad revealed on Sunday night.

Current Form Contrasts with Past Struggles

England will welcome the All Blacks after stretching their winning streak to nine matches with a decisive comfortable victory over the Pacific Islanders, romping clear in the final quarter. Their current form stands in stark contrast from a year ago, when England endured six defeats in seven outings, each by fine margins. A trio of these defeats came against the Kiwis—two on the overseas tour and a 24-22 reverse at home after George Ford missed two late kicks.

The All Blacks just defeated the Scots on Saturday to maintain hopes of a home nations grand slam intact, and while the Springboks secured their top ranking, the captain has hailed the All Blacks as “arguably the best side in the world.”

In the previous 11 meetings, England's sole win over New Zealand came in the global tournament semi, and New Zealand remain unbeaten in the last five fixtures at England's home ground.

The Captain's Perspective on Playing the Kiwis

“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 tempting to do that. I’ve probably done it in the past. We must remember we’ll be back here at Allianz Stadium. It’s an honour to be playing here. We will do all we can to win that game.

“You have to be at your best. New Zealand are arguably the strongest team in the world at the minute. They’re an unbelievably fantastic squad and they seem to step up a level when they come to this stadium. The important thing for us is is work out where we might have improved in the opening period last time. But also, have a defined strategy which can apply as much pressure as we possibly can. By doing so, we’ll create a chance.

“We came under a bit of heat last year for not emerging on the right side of close contests and not figuring out how to win. Currently, we’re doing the exact opposite. By no means have we cracked it. But we’ve put a strong focus on the latter stages of games and finishing strongly. Scoring multiple tries in the last quarter of that game is a mark of a quality team.”

The Coach's Outlook and Team Changes

Borthwick is again expected to make a number of changes to his lineup, with skipper the lock, the flanker, and Ford all set to be reinstated to the starting lineup. The wing and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso each suffered issues against the Islanders but both have been selected in the group preparing to face New Zealand.

“We want to test our mettle against the top sides and [New Zealand] are one of those elite squads,” commented the head coach. “We’re a young side, we’re developing, I think we’re improving rapidly and we’re eager to learn. So I’m sure next week’s will be a great assessment for us.”

The Star's Take on Progress

Ben Earl, in addition, thinks that the team's present capacity to pull clear in the closing stages of games owes much to their three narrow defeats by the All Blacks the previous year. “You feel seasoned, as if you’ve been through battles, you’ve developed the experience to learn from those losses, and they stung at the time,” said the back-rower, who was named man of the match against Fiji. “But I question among the squad in the changing room, if we’d alter our path now, with the joy that we’re now experiencing? I’d be curious to know because I think they’re extremely valuable lessons.”