Against South Africa, the winds of fortune had blown firmly in England’s direction. This time around, though, there was to be no such luck.
The officials' decision to overrule a late grounding from Sam Underhill consigned the hosts to a narrow 16-15 defeat by the All Blacks, with Courtney Lawes judged to have been offside in the build-up to the try – one which would have surely secured England victory with minutes left on the clock.
For head coach Steve Hansen, the matter was not up for debate. “There was no doubt he [Lawes] was offside,” Hansen said afterwards. “He was in the half-back’s pocket. What was going through my mind was whether they [the officials] were going to be brave enough with the decision, and they were.”
With four minutes left to play, England’s persistence looked to have paid off after Lawes charged down TJ Perenara’s box kick before Underhill surged his way to the try line and dived over in the corner. But after after the incident was referred to TMO Marius Jonker, the hosts’ hopes of a famous victory were subsequently dashed.
However, it was an ugly win for the All Blacks – the conditions marred by the downfall of rain which lashed against Twickenham Stadium for much of the match – but against a spirited display from the home side, their experience and resolve shone through.
“I thought we showed a lot of character,” Hansen said. “The weather conditions weren’t conducive to razzle-dazzle rugby. But the boys stuck with it.
“In the second half we took the points early. We showed a lot of character."
After an uncharacteristic 30 minutes, in which England opened up a 15-0 lead, New Zealand steadied themselves and by the break had recovered 10 points courtesy of a Damian McKenzie try and Beauden Barrett’s boot.
After the break, Barrett edged the world champions ahead through a drop-goal and another penalty kick. The All Blacks clung on as England refused to roll over, Jones' men enjoying numerous spells of pressure that were eventually curtailed by a drop of the ball from Kyle Sinckler and poor decision-making that saw them twice opt for a line-out over a kick for points.
Hansen added: “You’re not going to have momentum all the time. It’s important you maximise the momentum when you’ve got it.
“We had the self-belief and mental fortitude to hang in on there.”
All Blacks captain Kieran Reed echoed this sentiment. “It’s about trust and belief,” he said. “It was about believing in our selves. we had to roll our sleeves up and we finally got that done. The character of the men to turn it around and get some points before half time were crucial for us.”
