The All Blacks celebrate a Mark Tele'a try against England at Twickenham. Photo / Photosport
The All Blacks celebrate a Mark Tele'a try against England at Twickenham. Photo / Photosport
In a typically dramatic, captivating Twickenham contest, the All Blacks somehow emerged from extreme frayed nerves with their most treasured victory of the year.
Scoring three tries to one, the All Blacks should have had England on the rack, only for the result to bedetermined by the final play as Scott Robertson’s men pulled off another escape with a 24-22 win.
In headline tests this year, missed opportunities have been the theme of the All Blacks’ season.
While they did it the hard way, this time the All Blacks overcame repeat doses of self-inflicted adversity to take down England on their home patch and record a three-win sweep against Steve Borthwick’s men this year.
The All Blacks celebrate Mark Tele'a's try against England at Twickenham. Photo / Photosport
This was the All Blacks’ ninth test since those first outings under Robertson, and with nine starting changes since then, it is a decidedly different team.
After a patchy Rugby Championship campaign that delivered an underwhelming 50% return and a Japanese jaunt en route north, the All Blacks arrived in London for the first of a gruelling three-match stretch with everything to prove.
While this was another patchy performance and they remain far from the finished product after a match in which they committed 22 turnovers, a victory of this magnitude, in these circumstances, has the potential to be the making of this All Blacks team.
The All Blacks led 14-12 at halftime, but this gripping contest turned on its head immediately after the break when Marcus Smith snaffled an intercept – latching on to Cortex Ratima’s pass to sprint away and set up Immanuel Feyi-Waboso as England claimed the lead.
In what was another defining moment, a significant 10-point momentum swing, Beauden Barrett had his try scrubbed out for Caleb Clarke’s intentional knockdown.
Two scrum penalties, with Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Pasilio Tosi leading the charge off the bench, helped turn the tide for the All Blacks.
Ofa Tu'ungafasi of the All Blacks celebrates at fulltime as George Ford of England looks dejected. Photo / Getty Images
Down by five points with six minutes remaining, the All Blacks turned down the shot at goal and were rewarded with Mark Tele’a finishing his second in the corner to fully justify his inclusion over Sevu Reece. Damian McKenzie iced the match-winning sideline conversion to regain the lead, but there was much more to come.
Anton Lienert-Brown’s 78th-minute yellow card for yet another tackle off the ball handed England a chance to steal victory – only for George Ford to hit the post with the penalty. With tension at fever pitch and Robertson on his feet in the coaching box, Patrick Tuipulotu spilled the ball to give England a scrum 10m out from the line.
Ford, with All Blacks defenders streaming through, pushed his dropped goal attempt wide to deny England their quest for revenge.
With Ford fluffing his kicks, England’s decision to replace Smith will be widely scrutinised.
With pushed passes and losing the ball in contact, the All Blacks frustrated throughout. It was almost death by frequent errors.
The All Blacks were lethal when they punched forward and offloaded to find space in the wide channels but their compounding lack of patience and execution kept inviting England back.
In the end, though, the All Blacks displayed heart and hunger to overcome a second-half England lead and cling on at the death. Unlike in the Rugby Championship and Japan last week, there were no signs of their second-half fades, with the bench providing the desired impetus.
England’s aggressive rush defence, combined with contesting the breakdown to slow possession, pressured the All Blacks’ first-receiver and kicking game. Suffocated and stifled, the All Blacks initially struggled to spark their attacking game.
Two deft chip kicks from Beauden Barrett brought rewards, though, as did changing the point of attack and adjusting depth, but combatting England’s defensive blitz proved a constant challenge.
New Zealand’s second try, with Barrett switching to the blindside with a cut move for Will Jordan, exposed the English defence, the All Blacks fullback claiming his 36th try in 38 tests.
Wallace Sititi reinforced his irrepressible form on the grand stage with a man-of-the-match performance. His first offload gave Tele’a just enough space to blitz English prop Ellis Genge for the opening try. With more damaging carries that showcased his footwork and speed, Sititi often broke England open. Had Tupou Vaa’i held Sititi’s pass, the All Blacks would have scored a fourth try.
Hit by several injury disruptions after losing Codie Taylor to a head knock inside four minutes, the All Blacks were forced to adapt and adjust.
If there was one player they couldn’t afford to lose, it was Taylor. In his absence, Asafo Aumua carried hard and dished out defensive hurt, but he endured familiar lineout throwing issues in the second half that proved costly.
Rieko Ioane temporarily departed to fix up his hand, which was oozing blood. Vaa’i also limped off just after halftime. Beauden Barrett left the field for a late HIA (head injury assessment) too, but Patrick Tuipulotu delivered a colossal performance in a notable shift from the bench in the second half.
While the All Blacks were more threatening on attack, they were their own worst enemies at times too. Eight first-half penalties, three for tackling off the ball and two at the scrum, were punished with Smith slotting four of those.
Improving their record under Robertson to 8-3, it doesn’t get any easier from here for the All Blacks, with Ireland sitting, waiting in Dublin, seeking revenge for last year’s World Cup quarter-final defeat.
Recovering in six days from this torrid contest won’t be straightforward but with a nervy victory secured, the All Blacks will carry confidence into their next brutal battle.
England: Immanuel Feyi-Waboso try, Marcus Smith pen 4, con.
New Zealand: Mark Tele’a 2, Will Jordan tries, Beauden Barrett con 2, Damian McKenzie pen, con.
Liam Napier has been a sports journalist since 2010, and his work has taken him to World Cups in rugby, netball and cricket, boxing world title fights and Commonwealth Games.
