The right post will rattle right through George Ford’s nightmares. England brought on their old gun-slinger to carry them through the final quarter but the plan back-fired as his 79th minute penalty struck the woodwork and victory reverberated into defeat.
For Steve Borthwick, it was another case of so near yet so far. Three defeats by the All Blacks this year, by a grand total of 10 points. This was his best chance of landing a big scalp in the autumn series but victory, once again, belonged to the men in black.
England were leading by two scores going into the final quarter when they pulled off Ben Spencer and Marcus Smith. It felt like a declaration – an attempt to put a lid on their lead, rather than double down for the kill – and ultimately it did not pay off.
New Zealand were up against the ropes. Those striking black jerseys used to feel like coats of armour but this was not a vintage side. These days, the shirt feels like the yellow and green Brazilian football kit; a throwback to the likes of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos.
Beauden Barrett is the last man standing from the All Black generation that struck the fear of God into the opposition. The flickering ember of their global domination. Now he is surrounded by fresh faces and on Saturday it was 21-year-old flanker Wallace Sititi who carried them through.
England fell to a 22-24 defeat against New Zealand in their first autumn international
Steve Borthwick’s side showed a lot of promise in the early going in Saturday’s clash
Marcus Smith proved to be a consistent attacking threat in front of a baying Twickenham crowd
There are significant signs of progression in England’s attack but they lack a killer’s instinct. Smith dazzled at times but he was not given a chance to finish the job.
Referees are under new orders to defensive blocking under the high-ball and both coaching teams sniffed an opportunity. Ben Spencer is the master at box-kicking onto a six-pence and all of the All Black analysts would be ready for him to put boot to ball.
However, at the first ruck, inside 30 seconds, he shaped to kick but instead passed the ball to Smith to play out of the 22. England’s early intent paid off, scrambling the Kiwi defensive structure, allowing Smith to kick the first points of the game.
New Zealand lost experienced hooker Codie Taylor to a head injury and their set-piece suffered. Attacking from a botched lineout, Sititi somehow smuggled the ball to Mark Telea who, with just a couple of metres to play with, skinned Ellis Genge to score the opening try down the right wing. It was an offload that Sonny Bill Williams would have been proud of.
For an hour, Smith attacked flat to the line, causing problems for the Kiwi defence. The visitors’ were drowned by runners, resulting in misjudged tackles and a free-falling penalty count.
But the All Blacks remained dangerous in their own right, with Wallace Sititi impressing
Big tackles came in on both sides, with Chandler Cunningham-South landing a huge hit on Tupou Vaa’i
But there were errors on both sides. Spotting a hole in England’s defence – the first Test since Felix Jones’ departure – Barrett swept behind a ruck and switched play to Will Jordan. The winger arced around Genge, moving from one angle to another to score the Kiwis’ second.
It was not the highest quality Test match seen between these nations but there were fierce moments of play. When the tackles were timed correctly, they were showstoppers. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was caught in the crossfire, while Chandler Cunningham South landed a hit on Tupou Vaa’i that almost separated his body from its soul.
Smith’s missed a drop-goal but his penalties left England trailing by just two points at the end of a finely-poised first-half. And five minutes into the second-half, his magic helped England move ahead.
England threw bodies into a ruck inside their 22, forcing young scrum-half Cortez Ratima to rush his pass. Smith intercepted and sprinted out of his half to bring the stadium to its feet.
Jordan and Rieko Ioane chased him down but Smith used his ringwork to buy time for his support runners, setting up Feyi-Waboso for his third try in as many Tests against the All Blacks. Smith kicked his points and England moved two scores clear.
After being introduced late on George Ford had a golden chance to seal the win for England
But his kick struck the bar leaving England missing out on an opportunity to claim a big win
With victory in sight, Borthwick parked the bus. Ford is a masterful player but his introduction felt scripted. He had not played for a month due to injury so the substitution did not reflect Smith’s growing influence on the flow of the game. Even the Kiwis scratched their heads.
Ford motioned to his players for calm as they landed some big defensive turnovers. A no-arms tackle by Ben Earl allowed Damian McKenzie to narrow the gap with a penalty, and the Kiwi pressure began to ramp up. England’s scrum dominance unravelled after they changed their entire front-row and the momentum began to swing.
In the 77th minute, with a penalty advantage, Telea wrestled through Ford’s tackle to score down the right wing. McKenzie landed a world-class conversion to snatch the lead but there was still time for England to strike back.
Anton Lienert-Brown was sin-binned for a high tackle on Theo Dann and Ford had a shot at victory. His kick rattled off the post but the Kiwis fumbled the rebound. There was a second bite at the cherry as he worked into drop-goal territory but his shot sailed wide to leave England with a familiar feeling.
