The great All Blacks of old this current crop may not be but, as England can attest, never doubt New Zealand’s never-say-die spirit. For a third time this year, Scott Robertson’s side were dead and buried at the 60-minute mark only to rise from their internment like Halloween ghouls to haunt the hosts again.
It had been a long gap between England appearances at their home ground – long enough for Twickenham to have a radical rebrand – but the closing tableau was strikingly similar. Then, it had been Marcus Smith dropping Steve Borthwick’s men to victory as the clock ticked dead; here, with the chance to do the same, George Ford sliced wide to let a first victory over their opponents at home for 12 years slip by.
It was Ford’s second chance at securing a win that England, on merit, perhaps deserved. Moments earlier, the replacement fly half had hit the upright with a finely-struck penalty from the ten-metre line, the ugly clang puncturing a hush of anticipation. This was the Sale man’s first outing since suffering a quad injury kicking for Sale at the start of October – one could not quibble about his performance, but perhaps the rust showed.
As it was, it was a New Zealand side in need of a lift that secured an improbable win. Scott Robertson’s rebuild is not all going to plan but in back row Wallace Sititi he is moulding quite the shimmering centrepiece, the blindside flanker producing another performance to threaten superstardom. The match-winner, though, was Mark Tele’a, back to his electric eel-like best after a lean period this year.
“I don’t think George Ford has missed a drop kick in his life,” Robertson said afterwards. “The game had every emotion. It is a special moment for us as a group. I’m pleased, just as much as relieved. It means a lot for us and will galvanise us.”
As an occasion, the first men’s game at the retitled Allianz Stadium delivered in spades. The atmosphere had crackled throughout matchday and then ignited as the hosts marched forward to meet the All Blacks’ haka – after much debate in the week, here was a moment to really sell the sport.
This England side have undergone a personality shift in the months since a disastrous, error-strewn day at Murrayfield mid-Six Nations. If it would be wrong to phrase it as throwing caution completely to the wind, their attacking ambition was evident from the opening moments, when Smith lofted a crossfield kick into Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s arms – intent set.
The All Blacks had come to play, too. Beauden Barrett consulted his own toe textbook and twice nearly unlocked England with kicks, Maro Itoje’s blocking hands vital even 30 metres from his own line with cover lacking on the defensive right edge.
The ingenuity and invention extended to the heavier men, too, and it was rising star Sititi who cut England open for the first time. There appeared little on as the back row lumbered out towards the right touchline, but his size was sufficient to draw two men to engulf him. Out of the abyss came an offloading limb, setting up Tele’a to skin an outmatched Ellis Genge and slide into the corner.
England’s defence has a new overseer in Joe El-Abd, and while there were subtle tweaks to the system, the pre-match promise that their high linespeed “blitz” would remain proved true. But the All Blacks had done their homework and found clever ways of slowing or defeating it: Ardie Savea chip-kicking at the line, Tele’a roaming with menace.
Eventually, joy with found through a bit of classic Beauden Barrett cunning. The eldest brother may lack the sheer speed of his youth but there are few cannier footballers, and he exploited Genge‘s presence on the blindside to set up a second visiting score. A swift switch in the direction of play left England’s loosehead scrambling to cover the fly half, leaving an open gangway through which Will Jordan was ushered by Barrett’s sharp pass.
But England were sticking in it, aided by some All Blacks ill-discipline. Eight times the visitors were whistled by referee Angus Gardner, including thrice for tackles of the ball; each of those, plus another, were knocked over by Smith to leave the hosts very much in touch.
Smith soon made a more telling intervention. New Zealand had begun to cut England open and were nearing the 22-metre line as Cortez Ratima attempted to access the short side. But having been caught in a bit of post-ruck traffic, the scrum half’s pass floated, allowing England’s ten to pluck it. If the initial read was excellent, what came thereafter was even better, Smith weaving like a matador among All Black bulls. George Furbank and Feyi-Waboso provided the energetic legs required to finish off the try.
It was the sort of score one would usually associate with the visitors, who had begun to lose their composure. Barrett went from supreme to sloppy, kicking errantly on more than one occasion, while Asafo Aumua – on in the opening minutes at hooker for a stricken Codie Taylor – lacked accuracy at the lineout.
When Caleb Clarke was deemed to have deliberately knocked on just before the hour mark, Smith’s boot stretched England’s advantage beyond a single try. It was a position they had had held in both Tests down in New Zealand in the summer and failed to convert, scenarios that Borthwick and his staff have agonised over since. An attempt to address the final quarter collapse had been made: on came six forwards plus a fit-again George Ford, playing a closer’s role at fly half.
Ford’s introduction prompted England to play the percentages, trying to kick their way to victory, Harry Randall putting boot to ball more times off the bench than he has in the entire season so far for Bristol. It appeared a Maro Itoje turnover had taken them nearer, but Ben Earl’s no-arms tackle moments beforehand granted Damian McKenzie the chance to move the All Blacks back within striking range.
Was this to be another England near miss in a year becoming worryingly full of them? A final offensive was launched from a quick tap as three points were turned down, a bold call made correct by a final piece of Tele’a brilliance. With an advantage coming, the lissom wing somehow extricated himself from the clutches of Ford and, in a flash, was in for his second.
But the drama was not done. Anton Lienert-Brown infringed twice within a minute of the restart, first catching Theo Dan high and then tackling an Englishman off the ball. Off to the bin he went as Ford lined up his kick; back off the upright it came, before the final drop goal faded away to leave Borthwick fretting again.
