England 22-24 New Zealand
Posted by Ben Jaycock from Twickenham
George Ford missed a late penalty and a last-gasp goal for a heartbroken England as they suffered their third loss to New Zealand in four months.
Ford missed a routine three with an upright strike, but New Zealand spilled the rebound, causing a scrum just in front of the posts.
England won the scrum and a few stages later Ford fell into the pocket to conclude a thrilling Test match, but his kick sailed wide.
Harlequins flyhalf Marcus Smith made a strong case to be England’s starter going forward, scoring four penalties and instigating Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s second-half try to put England into a second-half lead. Eyebrows were raised when Smith moved on to Ford, and questions will likely be asked long after this thriller ends.
Steve Borthwick’s side looked set for a first win over New Zealand at Twickenham since 2012, but their poor training was left to rue as it was more pain than ecstasy for England.
A resilient New Zealander counterattack saw Mark Telea score a decisive try that once again broke the hearts of the Red Rose, a common theme during the Borthwick era.
England’s win over an inexperienced Japan in a low-key affair is now sandwiched between a heartbreaking loss to France and three comebacks against New Zealand at the end of the Six Nations.
Following an inconsistent opening and disappointing Rugby Championship, Scott Robertson produced his most impressive win to date with a gutsy second-half fightback in his four months as All Blacks boss.
Much of the pre-match noise came from around the haka, with England having to walk to halfway for pre-match rituals, and the hefty fines to come, heightening the drama.
England created a vast opening when Ben Spencer simulated a box kick inside his own 22 before a cross-field kick to Feyi-Waboso found Smith who almost made it.
The home side continued to be on the front foot with a deliberately overturned lineout in an attempt to punch holes in the Kiwi defensive line with a flurry of runners. An off-the-ball tackle by the influential Chandler Cunningham-South allowed Smith to open the scoring with a routine three.
There was some great kicking in the opening period, especially with Beauden Barrett kicking the ball every time he got his hands on it.
Feyi-Waboso was committed for offside which allowed the All Blacks to piggyback on the 22. A quick play outside off after winning a messy lineout saw Wallace Sititi produce an audacious offload for Mark Telea to finish Ellis Genge with an easy finish. corner.
Beauden Barrett dispatched the conversion from a difficult angle before England hit back with sustained pressure, allowing Smith to make a further three.
England had an early advantage at scrum-time as Will Stuart got the better of Tamaiti Williams, but Smith was unable to capitalize on this after missing a touch.
Moments later, Will Jordan continued his strange record of try-scoring at Test level following Beauden Barrett’s scissor pass, with Genge again beaten.
Smith scored Cunningham-South’s third penalty before a huge hit on Tupou Vaai resulted in roars from the stands.
England’s scrum dominance gave Smith a fourth penalty kick from 44 meters out. That meant the home side were two points behind at the interval to be thankful that Sititi, who was head and shoulders above the rest, broke through the defensive line. His pass to Vaai was leaked by Smith, who denied the visitors a certain attempt despite a late drop goal.
At the start of the second half, Smith read New Zealand’s attack like a book and had the patience to feed George Furbank, who had the easy task of offloading scorer Feyi-Waboso for a try with a vital block.
Smith stood tall and won the battle of the two 10s, scoring 50:22 the moment his opponent’s number had kicked the ball.
Beauden Barrett looked set to open the scoring after an offload from Caleb Clarke, but TMO spotted a deliberate knock from Clarke in the build-up.
After replacing Smith, Spencer punished the All Blacks’ poor discipline, but substitute Damian McKenzie was awarded a 66th-minute penalty after an arms tackle on Ben Earl to set up a grandstand finish.
New Zealand gasped and eventually England’s defense creaked as Telea stumbled over to score his second after the quick hands of McKenzie and Jordan.
Anton Lienert-Brown gave Ford the chance to seal the deal thanks to a high shot from Theo Dan, but the Sale Sharks 10 lacked the necessary composure.
uk: Furbank, Fay-Waboso, Slade, Lawrence, Freeman, Smith, Spencer; Genji, George (c), Stuart, Itoje, Martin, Cunningham-South, T Currie, Earl.
shift: Dan, Baxter, Cole, Isiekwe, B Curry, Dombrandt, Randall, Ford.
New Zealand: Jordan, Telea, John, J Barrett, Clark, B Barrett, Latima; Williams, Taylor, Lomax, S Barrett, C, Stiti, Kane, Sabia.
shift: Aumua, Tuungafasi, Tosi, Tuipulotu, Funau, Roigard, Lienert-Brown, McKenzie
Referee: Angus Gardner
Starman: Wallace Siti – New Zealand
Attendance: 82,000
Halftime: 12-14
