England’s hopes of a triumphant victory over New Zealand were dashed in a nail-biting 24-22 defeat at Allianz Stadium, with George Ford missing crucial kicks in the dying moments.
The All Blacks had edged ahead thanks to Mark Tele’a’s brace, but England saw a glimmer of hope when Anton Lienert-Brown was penalised for a dangerous tackle on Theo Dan.
Ford’s penalty in the 77th minute agonisingly struck the upright, and after a squandered scrum opportunity, his drop-goal attempt also drifted wide, leaving England to rue what could have been in the Autumn Nations Series opener.
Joe Marler had previously stoked tensions by labelling the Haka “ridiculous” and suggesting it should be “binned”, yet the anticipated retaliation from All Blacks captain Scott Barrett only sparked into life towards the end.
Despite a lacklustre performance from New Zealand, they capitalised on England’s defensive frailties, with Ellis Genge caught out twice leading to tries for Tele’a and Will Jordan.
Marcus Smith kept England within reach through a series of penalties, many earned by their commanding scrum, and turned the tide when he set up Immanuel Feyi-Waboso for a critical try.
New Zealand continued their efforts, creating a crucial touchline for Tele’a that was enhanced by a touchdown conversion from Damian McKenzie.
Marler’s opinion on the Haka was evidently not echoed by the 82,000-strong crowd who cheered England’s advance to the halfway line to face the Maori war dance before kick-off.
The captivating spectacle was soon matched by England’s smooth start as they utilised short chips to the wings to progress downfield where pressure resulted in a penalty expertly converted by Smith.
However, the positive momentum was quickly reversed when Wallace Sititi drew in two tacklers and executed a remarkable off-load to wing Tele’a, who dodged Genge and sprinted down the touchline to score.
Smith retaliated with a penalty and after some tense exchanges, England were the first to spark with Maro Itoje making successive breaks, releasing Ben Spencer on one occasion.
As a reminder of New Zealand’s threat, Jordie Barrett slipped through a group of white shirts to initiate a counter-attack that ultimately led to their second try through Jordan.
This occurred when Beauden Barrett and Jordan combined brilliantly to exploit a weakness in England’s ruck defence, their vision and speed exposing the unfortunate Genge.
Smith’s boot was the only thing keeping the hosts in the game, although a colossal hit by Chandler Cunningham-South on Tupou Vaa’i lifted spirits that continued to rise when a scrum penalty yielded another three points for Smith.
New Zealand had a slight lead of 14-12 at half-time, but the game took a turn in the 44th minute when Smith intercepted a pass from Cortez Ratima and sprinted ahead. With George Furbank acting as the link, Feyi-Waboso was able to score.
Smith’s brilliant anticipation of the All Blacks’ strategy put him in the spotlight, with his fifth penalty marking a significant shift in the game, especially as it came when the visitors had a try disallowed due to a deliberate knock-on.
A penalty by McKenzie set the stage for a thrilling finale, with New Zealand ultimately keeping their cool to secure the win.
