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2 months ago
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The first weekend of the Autumn Nations Series was always going to be interesting. Two sides in need of an uplifting result, 80,000-plus spectators keen to renew their big match vows in a newly-retitled stadium. It duly delivered a flawed classic and a breathtaking finish which saw Steve Borthwick’s side narrowly miss out – again – on a morale-boosting win over the All Blacks.
Reclaiming the Hillary Shield would have been all the sweeter for England following their 2-0 summer series defeat but again they blew the chance to land the killer blow. A late penalty from George Ford hit a post and, with the last kick of the game, Ford also missed with a drop goal which would have secure a first home win over New Zealand for 12 years.
All had looked fine for England until the 76th minute when, after deft build-up play from Damian McKenzie, Mark Tele’a escaped down the right past the tackle of Ford to score his second try of the game in the right hand corner. McKenzie swung over a brilliant touchline conversion and New Zealand were ahead 24-22.
In the final analysis it mattered less that the visitors had made far too many unforced errors and donated England a crucial 44th minute interception try finished by a delighted Manny Feyi-Waboso. At least it was a memorable occasion for all present. Stirred by the pre-match sight of their side advancing towards haka the crowd were treated to a committed home performance and the atmosphere was excellent.
Tactically, though, there were flashing early amber warning signals on England’s flanks. New Zealand had clearly been studying England’s blitz defensive system and two early attempted cross kicks by Beauden Barrett could easily have paid off. The abrupt summer departure of Felix Jones had left no time for a complete defensive overhaul and this was always going to be a tough early challenge for his replacement Joe El-Abd.
The scale of the task was further underlined by New Zealand’s opening try. In theory there should have been no room down the blind side on England’s left but a lovely back-of-the-hand offload from Wallace Sititi gave Tele’a the chance to wrongfoot Ellis Genge and score in the corner. A winger versus a prop in such circumstances is barely a contest.
England, though, were looking better with the ball. There was a clear willingness to switch the point of attack, whether it be from long lineout throws or cross kicks, and a couple of Smith penalties ensured there was only one point in it by the end of the first quarter.
With both sides straining for sustained rhythm it was a game crying out for a flash of individual skill from either side. A little chip and gather from Beauden Barrett almost created something for the visitors and a promising break down the left by Ben Spencer was halted only when the scrum-half put a foot in touch.
The All Blacks should also have had a second try when, after a lung-bursting sequence of phases, Spencer’s opposite number Cortez Ratima failed to spot the unmarked Will Jordan outside him and a gilt-edged chance went begging. It was to prove only a temporary reprieve, a slick diagonal switch from Beauden Barrett sending Jordan streaking away for his 36th try in 38 Tests.
It was exactly the kind of scalpel-sharp intervention that used to distinguish the best All Blacks sides. The current iteration are not having a vintage year but they do still have the ability to flick the switch when the mood takes them. At 33, Barrett can also still do things most players cannot.
England needed some kind of response and found one when Chandler Cunningham-South dislodged the apostrophe from Tupou Vaa’i with a body-shuddering midfield tackle. They were also enjoying some joy in the scrums where Tamaiti Williams was finding Will Stuart a handful and allowed Smith to slide over his fourth successive penalty to narrow the gap to 14-12.
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It might have been a slightly different story had the outstanding Sititi, having broken clear up the middle of the field, not thrown a forward pass to the supporting Vaa’i who spilt it anyway with the line begging. England, too, had good reason for the odd grimace when Smith, lining up a drop goal which would have put his side ahead at the interval, scuffed the chance low and wide.
Was it, therefore, the ideal moment to wheel on England’s winning 2003 World Cup squad for a half-time parade? Comparisons between eras are mostly impossible but let’s just say the class of 2003 had a half-decent drop goal practitioner in their midst. In the drum-tight modern game those little extra three-pointers are just as vital, if not more so,
because there was no guarantee that New Zealand, having conceded eight penalties and 13 turnovers in the first half alone, would be so profligate after the break.
While it was clearly a blow to have lost their reliable hooker Codie Taylor after just five minutes, the All Blacks still potentially had enough on the bench to swing the contest. But England, with six forwards on the bench, also had aspirations of finding another gear and a potential game-breaking moment arrived within four minutes of the restart. When Smith intercepted Ratima’s pass he was more than 80 metres away from the All Black line but intelligent support from George Furbank kept the move going and Feyi-Waboso burned off the remaining cover to score his maiden Twickenham try.
New Zealand briefly thought they had responded when Caleb Clarke fed the omnipresent Barrett who dived over. Play was correctly brought back for a Clarke knock-on 60 metres back downfield and, from the ensuing penalty, Smith’s fifth successful kick brought the crowd to their feet. Little did they know what still lay in store.
