As England stood under their own posts, trailing the mighty All Blacks 12-0 with not even 20 minutes on the clock, they could have been forgiven for thinking “not again…” A record of just two wins in your previous 21 matches against a team can give any side a complex.
But this version of England showed their growth and maturity to steadily fight their way back into the contest and pull away as the second half progressed to notch a hugely impressive 33-19 win that laid a few demons to rest.
A World Cup marker laid down almost two years out from the tournament? That is probably a claim too far, but the Steve Borthwick project is rattling along nicely and his side looks to be building something truly special as many rivals begin to falter.
Borthwick’s gamble of stacking the bench with six British and Irish Lions, and 317 caps of experience, perhaps very slightly at the expense of the starting XV, paid dividends. It was Eddie Jones who labelled his replacements as ‘finishers’, but it’s under this England coach that the ‘Pom Squad’ have become the masters of killing off Test matches.
In the previous four matches between these sides, there had been one draw and All Black victories by one, two and seven points respectively. Each contest had come down to the final seconds, with England failing to win on any occasion, so Borthwick trusted his starters to keep them in the game and allow the big guns to finish the job in those defining moments.
Throughout this Quilter Nations Series, the All Blacks have also shown the ability to take over games in the final 20 minutes, as Scotland and Ireland will attest, but this time, their back-ups could do little to stop the white tidal wave that was crashing down upon them.
In truth, England had flipped a switch long before the bulk of their bench entered the fray. From 12-0 down, they racked up 25 straight points – with Ollie Lawrence at the heart of their most impressive play – before a Will Jordan try 15 minutes from time briefly caused concern. But cool heads prevailed to add a penalty and final try in the dying moments to complete a comprehensive triumph. Whether you think this is a vintage version of the All Blacks or not, any victory over the most iconic team in world sport is to be celebrated.
England now have 10 straight wins and will back themselves to make that 11 when they host Argentina next Sunday, which would send them into the penultimate Six Nations before that 2027 World Cup riding the crest of a wave. A first Six Nations title since 2020 will be the expectation. And then? Who knows how far they could go?
The fact that perhaps the biggest roar of the day at Allianz Stadium was for Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, Tom Curry and Henry Pollock coming off the bench en masse on 56 minutes shows that fans are very much buying what Borthwick and co are selling. They were at last rewarded with another positive All Blacks modern memory to add to the 2019 World Cup semi-final and the 2012 Manu Tuilagi masterclass.
The intensity was brought before the first whistle was even blown. England stood defiantly in a semi-circle to face down the haka, with Pollock and Jamie George chosen as the men at the two points, staring directly at the All Blacks. Pollock, in particular, relished the role, licking his lips in anticipation and barely blinking. For someone whose in-your-face personality seems to have offended rugby’s more traditional elements, this was the perfect use of the never-shy 20-year-old.
The Allianz Stadium crowd did their part too by singing “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” throughout as the ground buzzed in anticipation of what was to come. Statement made.
However, it was New Zealand who made the early statements once the game began, surging into a 12-0 lead in the opening quarter as their kicking game pinned the hosts back.
Leicester Fainga’anuku, whose middle name is Twickenham thanks to his father playing at the venue for Tonga during the 1999 World Cup, was the most fitting of opening try scorers as he burrowed over from close range. Shortly after, Codie Taylor dotted down in the same corner after collecting Billy Proctor’s long bounce pass and stepping inside the covering Alex Mitchell in a move set up by Cam Roigard’s scintillating 50:22 box-kick.
A two-score deficit to the All Blacks is never a good place to be, but this current England team have a confidence borne from a nine-game winning streak. They were enjoying some kicking success of their own, with Freddie Steward reclaiming his mantle as perhaps the northern hemisphere’s premier aerial threat after some struggles during the win over Australia.
Steward’s 22nd-minute exit with a head injury was a blow, although Borthwick’s decision to give the No 23 shirt to the more versatile Marcus Smith, as opposed to his namesake Fin, was validated, and England hit back. Quick hands and mesmerising offloads sent Immanuel Feyi-Waboso streaking into the 22. From that platform, the hosts scored from first-phase ball off a scrum with Lawrence demonstrating the physical gifts that make him such an exciting option in the No 13 jersey, pushing would-be tackler Leroy Carter to the ground before bouncing off Beauden Barrett’s attempted stop to stretch out for the score.
When George Ford continued his concerted one-man campaign to Make Drop Goals Great Again by slotting a pair of them in the minutes before half-time, England had staved off disaster to narrow the gap to just a single point.
And within three minutes of the restart, the game was flipped completely on its head. Ten minutes in the sin-bin for Taylor for playing the ball on the ground put the All Blacks on the back foot and Mitchell’s snipe towards the line put them further on their heels, allowing the supreme Sam Underhill to power over the line for a six-point English lead.
Lawrence showed another string to his bow when his deft offload to a crashing Fraser Dingwall after drawing in a defender enabled his centre partner to dot down for a 25-12 advantage on 55 minutes and meant the quartet of Genge, Stuart, Curry and Pollock subsequently ran on to join fellow replacement Luke Cowan-Dickie – who had come on for a hobbling George shortly before – with the game there for the taking.
Huge celebrations as they promptly won a scrum penalty on halfway was proof positive of the energy that the “Pom Squad” inject and although Jordan strolled under the posts for a try 15 minutes from time, that cut the lead to a single score, Ford’s nerve-settling 75-minute penalty response ensured this would be England’s day. The veterans that Borthwick had trusted did what was required.
There was still time for Tom Roebuck to put the cherry on top of the icing as he seized on a loose ball to dive over in the corner at the death and a 14-point margin of victory promises big things to come from a side growing in confidence with every passing game.
Is there something special brewing in Twickenham? After taking the All Blacks scalp in such style, there might just be.
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