But in the end, England lost because George Ford didn’t succeed with first a penalty, and then a dropped goal with the last kick of the test.
And there’s more. Marcus Smith is a terrific runner with the ball, and his 44th-minute intercept that set up a try for England wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was beautifully executed.
But Smith also had the chance in the first-half injury time to kick a fairly straightforward dropped goal that could have been key to an England win. His attempt was so bad, it bounced before it got to the All Blacks goal line.
International sport can be brutal. At the heart of the All Blacks victory, Mark Tele’a got every tiny detail right when he scored his 75th-minute try, just as Damian McKenzie did with his sideline conversion.
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson summed up his side’s performance perfectly: “We didn’t get a lot right but we got enough right.”
England were third with three wins in this year’s Six Nations. France were second, also with three, while Ireland, with four victories, topped the competition.
So logic suggests an All Blacks win against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday morning will require a step up in performance.
Belief will be crucial for New Zealand, and their last-gasp victory against England should provide a growing conviction the All Blacks can match some of the world’s best.
The energy Tele’a brought to the pitch would have rivalled the National Grid, as he wriggled and bounced away from tackles, set up runners outside him and scored two glorious tries.
Patrick Tuipulotu was a giant in every aspect of his game, from accurate lineout ball-winning, to crunching tackles and racking up ball-carrying metres with charges at the English line.
Wallace Sititi offloads against England. Photo / Getty Images
But 2024 is rapidly becoming the year of Wallace Sititi. Against vastly more experienced players in the England pack, Sititi lived up to Ardie Savea’s slightly misunderstood (Savea was referring to the fact they can both play all three loose forward positions) but also heartfelt comment, “He [Sititi] reminds me of me”.
Sideline observers could fairly add fearlessness, rugby smarts and a stunning work rate to the comparison.
Question to pursue this week
Were the scrum problems at Twickenham just a blip, or a sign of some faultlines appearing in the All Blacks pack? There was definitely something going wrong, as the penalty count for England showed. Scrum coach Jason Ryan is likely to be glued to a laptop screen this week, looking for what he can take to the training field, as the Irish forwards are at least as classy as England’s.
The fittest man on the field?
A weird sideshow to the Twickenham test was the almost non-stop running commentary from Australian referee Angus Gardner.
Communication with the players is a huge help to the smooth running of a game. But Gardner’s chatter reached a point where you had to be irritated or impressed with the man’s lung capacity, as he not only kept up with play, but also explained his rulings, sometimes on the run.
Hot air over the haka
The faux outrage over the haka gave Welsh writer Stephen Jones one last chance for an insult.
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett said during the week: “It’s become a huge part of the All Blacks, it’s bigger than rugby in a sense.”
Jones’ reply in London’s Sunday Times? “So, no appalling self-serving rubbish there at all, Scott?”
The haka grabbed the attention of the 80,000-plus crowd at Twickenham a little more than usual. Between the England team advancing towards the challenge and the crowd singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot as loudly as possible, the challenge got the attention it deserves.
All Blacks v Ireland, Saturday 9.10am. Live commentary on Newstalk ZB, Gold Sport and iHeartRadio. Live match blog at nzherald.co.nz
