All Blacks v England: Sevu Reece stands tallest on test return to open Scott Robertson era

Sevu Reece scores against England. Photo / Photosport

By Gregor Paul in Dunedin

There’s an irony of some kind that on a night when the All Blacks forwards grafted the hardest of hard-fought victories in a prolonged battle of attrition, that the sorest man in camp on Sunday morning might have been Sevu Reece.

The All Blacks wing made an impressive and explosive return to test rugby, in a performance that saw him score a try, kick a 50-22 and pull off the best individual tackle of the night when he hammered England fullback George Furbank from a kick-chase.

He said after the game that his body was already feeling the effects of what was a long and bruising night for a man who had not played test rugby for 18 months.

For Reece, having been stuck on the end of a Crusaders backline that didn’t enjoy much success or possession this year, he must have been hoping to finally to have been afforded a little space and opportunity to show his uncanny ability to beat defenders and score from half-chances.

But England’s defensive effort and the high-kicking content meant that Reece once again found himself at the end of a backline that spent much of the game under siege.

It was an impact-laden rather than action-packed performance from Reece, whose opportunities were limited by the struggle the All Blacks had in getting the ball to him in the face of England’s rush defence.

How well England pushed up from the outside-in, to cramp the All Blacks at times and leave them a little frantic and wild in their efforts to find space was one of the key elements of the game.

New Zealand’s attack only had sporadic success in stressing England, and in the first half, when they did manage to get the ball wide, both Reece and his fellow wing, Mark Tele’a were heavily marked and forced to cut back in-field and bounce around in the heavy traffic.

Reece certainly made the most of what ball came his way – making his try look easier than it was after collecting a cross-kick.

He still had to find a way through the tackle of Tommy Freeman and twist his way to the line.

He also used his fast feet to good effect, and he covered the backfield with plenty of energy to produce a performance that should ensure he remains a strong contender to start again next week in a congested and competitive position.

But despite the victory and his own performance, he feels the All Blacks will need to lift their performance next week to win again.

“We saw tonight that those England boys, they keep turning up, they are not going to go away and so next week we have to go up a level as they are going to go up a level,” he said.

“In the first half it took us a wee bit to find our feet and we were playing a little bit too much.

“We stuck to our gameplan pretty well in in the second half and opened it up and we stayed composed and we closed the game pretty well.”

One of the major areas to improve upon will be playing the ball through or around England’s defensive screen which was able to harass and unsettle the All Blacks at times and almost snaffle two tries from intercepts or wild passes to no one.

Damian McKenzie, whose all-round game was relatively measured and controlled, said that there will be plenty of analysis done during the week to see what worked and what didn’t.

“I think when the ball is in the air for a long time with our long passes it gives them the chance to get up and make spot tackles,” he said.

“So maybe we need to shorten up our passes and try to get the ball to space but the way England defend they make it tough to get the ball to space. We got it right a couple of times and other times we didn’t.”

Gregor Paul is one of New Zealand’s most respected rugby writers and columnists. He has won multiple awards for journalism and has written several books about sport.