England’s George Ford missed two last-gasp shots at goal and New Zealand held on to win a dramatic Autumn Nations Series opener 24-22 at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
The hosts then got a scrum in the 22, with the sell-out crowd of 82,000 baying England on, but the All Blacks spoiled the scrum and a rushed drop goal attempt by Ford after the 80-minute hooter flew well wide.
It means New Zealand complete a hat-trick of wins against England this year, by a combined 10 points. Meanwhile, England missed out on a first home win over the All Blacks since 2012.
England were left to rue yet another close-run defeat by New Zealand on Saturday. George Ford saw a late penalty crash back off the post before sending a last-gasp drop-goal attempt wide as Steve Borthwick’s side were ultimately edged out in a dramatic finale by a rousing All Blacks comeback, with Damian McKenzie notching a crucial penalty and then converting Mark Tele’a’s second try of the afternoon as the visitors held on to triumph 24-22 at Twickenham.
England had looked on course to secure a first win over the All Blacks at Twickenham since 2012, but eventually fell to a 24-22 loss after a dramatic finish.
A brilliant solo try by wing Mark Tele’a, converted from the sideline by Damian McKenzie, saw New Zealand regain a two-point lead with three minutes to go. But then Anton Lienert-Brown was sin-binned for a head-on-head tackle and Ford lined up an angled penalty kick from 40 metres but it rebounded off the right post.
The hosts then got a scrum in the 22, with the sell-out crowd of 82,000 baying England on, but the All Blacks spoiled the scrum and a rushed drop goal attempt by Ford after the 80-minute hooter flew well wide.
It means New Zealand complete a hat-trick of wins against England this year, by a combined 10 points. Meanwhile, England missed out on a first home win over the All Blacks since 2012.
It is the third narrow loss that England have had against New Zealand this year and by far the most galling after back-to-back close defeats on their summer tour, and came after they had led by eight points heading into the final 20 minutes after Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s converted breakaway try that followed a Marcus Smith intercept and a fifth successful penalty from England’s accurate fly-half. The All Blacks had led 14-12 at the break, with Smith’s boot keeping England in touch amid stylish tries from Tele’a and Will Jordan.
Borthwick’s side had been eight points clear going into the final 20 minutes of the game after a faultless kicking display from Smith and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s try, teed up by a Smith intercept and break.
With England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning heroes in attendance and parading the trophy at half-time, it felt like the script was written for George Ford to win this game with a drop goal.
As the clocked ticked into the red, New Zealand held a narrow 24-22 lead and Ford nestled in the pocket as he looked for the three points that would secure England a first victory over the All Blacks at Twickenham since 2012.
It was agony and heartbreak for Ford, though, as his attempt slid past the post and the New Zealand players celebrated wildly.
Ford was England’s hero at the World Cup last year, dismantling Argentina with drop goals, but on this occasion it wasn’t to be.
England led for much of the second half but gave up their advantage with two minutes to play after a Mark Tele’a try in the corner and a Damian McKenzie conversion put the All Blacks 24-22 in front.
The home side had two chances to score points in the final moments, with George Ford missing a penalty and a drop-goal to leave England short as they were condemned to their fifth defeat in the last seven matches.
The dark, ominous clouds that gathered above Twickenham will reflect England's mood after another narrow loss in a Test match they had the chance to win.
“I think to be put in a position where you’re winning by the margin the team were at that point in time, then there’s clearly an opportunity to win the game,” Borthwick told a post match news conference.
“There was some pretty clear things why we didn’t [win] against a very good New Zealand team. We gave them a window to get back and, and they took it.”
When asked where it went wrong for England, Borthwick was quick to point out the things that went right for his side during the contest, and how much experience New Zealand had.
“If you look at that New Zealand team, you’ve got to credit them. Ten players from the World Cup final playing there, more than 1,000 caps. They had more caps in that [starting] 15 than we had in our [squad of] 23.
“But this England team led by Jamie [George], I think really played smart rugby today. And unfortunately, yes, we didn’t get the win we wanted. But I think everyone would see that this, this team has developed into being a very strong team.”
George also said he was frustrated at letting victory slip through their fingers but was pleased with his side’s effort.
“Speaking to those [New Zealand] guys after the game, they knew that they were in a very, very difficult test match,” George said. “I’m very proud of the way that we went about things today, our effort, our endeavor, but, you know, we’ve got to make sure that we learn and, and get better so that we start winning and getting on the right side of those close results.”
It was viewed as a crucial match for both sides, with New Zealand winning just three games from six in the Rugby Championship this year, and coach Scott Robertson was pleased with the resilience his side showed to claim what looked at one point like an unlikely win.
“I don’t think George Ford’s ever missed a drop kick in his life,” Roberston said. “We showed a lot of character, stayed in the fight for long periods of time. With 15 minutes to go, coming from eight [points] down to win that is a pretty special moment for us as a group.”
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett praised England’s efforts in another tight contest between the sides.
“When they’re playing like they have shown this year I think they’re a dangerous team. We potentially just played a little bit more rugby than them for majority of game. There was a few arm wrestles but I was pleased with our endeavour to play,” Barrett said.
It’s the third narrow loss that England have had against New Zealand this year and by far the most galling after back-to-back close defeats on their summer tour, and came after they had led by eight points heading into the final 20 minutes after Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s converted breakaway try that followed a Marcus Smith intercept and a fifth successful penalty from England’s accurate fly-half. The All Blacks had led 14-12 at the break, with Smith’s boot keeping England in touch amid stylish tries from Tele’a and Will Jordan.
Before the game, England’s players walked together to the halfway line in their response to an electric New Zealand haka that came after Joe Marler had apologised for the controversy caused when he said the pre-match tradition should be “binned”. England will have to shrug off their latest slender loss to powerhouse opposition as Australia come to town next weekend, while New Zealand have a blockbuster showdown with Ireland in Dublin on Friday night. Follow England vs New Zealand reaction live below, including analysis from Standard Sport’s Simon Collings at Twickenham.
England vs New Zealand highlights
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Steve Borthwick defended his decision to bring off Ben Spencer and Marcus Smith as England kicked off their Autumn Nations Series campaign with an agonising defeat by New Zealand, writes Simon Collings at Twickenham.
England had looked on course to secure a first win over the All Blacks at Twickenham since 2012, but eventually fell to a 24-22 loss after a dramatic finish.
Fly-half Smith was taken off shortly after that, though, and scrum-half Spencer was also substituted.
Read the story in full
With England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning heroes in attendance and parading the trophy at half-time, it felt like the script was written for George Ford to win this game with a drop goal.
As the clocked ticked into the red, New Zealand held a narrow 24-22 lead and Ford nestled in the pocket as he looked for the three points that would secure England a first victory over the All Blacks at Twickenham since 2012.
It was agony and heartbreak for Ford, though, as his attempt slid past the post and the New Zealand players celebrated wildly.
Ford was England’s hero at the World Cup last year, dismantling Argentina with drop goals, but on this occasion it wasn’t to be.
Read Simon Collings’ full match report here
Replacements
Dan Cole (Stuart 53’) 5
Struggled at scrum time, as did Fin Baxter.
Fin Baxter (Genge 53’) 5
Had a great summer tour to New Zealand, but endured a tough afternoon here. England lost control of the scrum.
Theo Dan (George 53’) 7
One of England’s better replacements. Carried the ball well and was lively in the loose.
Harry Randall (Spencer 60’) 5
Tried to inject some pace at the breakdown, but England lost control of the game.
Ben Curry (Curry 60’) 7
Immediately won a penalty at the breakdown moments after coming on.
George Ford (Smith 63’) 5
Caught out wide against Tele’a and could not stop him going over late on.
Hit the post with a late penalty, which would have won England the game, and also put a last-gasp drop-goal attempt wide.
Alex Dombrandt (Cunningham-South 66’) 6
Put in a few big hits as England defended late on.
Nick Isiekwe (Lawrence 77’) N/A
Forwards
Ellis Genge 6
Caught out on the wing for New Zealand’s opening try when he had an utter mismatch up against Tele’a.
Jamie George 6
Steady stuff from the England captain, both in the set-piece and loose. Off for the final 30 minutes as England turned to Theo Dan.
Will Stuart 6
A solid performance from the prop, especially at scrum time. Helped England enjoy dominance there in the first half.
Maro Itoje 8
Opened New Zealand up with a great pick-and-go from the base of a ruck. Typically everywhere and was excellent in the lineout.
George Martin 6
Went under the radar alongside Itoje, but he put in a good shift. Carried well when called upon.
Chandler Cunningham-South 8
Put in a huge hit on Tupou Vaa’i and tried to whip the crowd up. Summed up his performance - a tackling machine.
Tom Curry 7
Got through so much defensive work during a tireless performance. So vital to England at the breakdown.
Ben Earl 7
Tasked with doing plenty of carrying and stepped up to the plate. Starting to flourish as England’s number eight.
Backs
George Furbank 7
Had a fairly quiet game, but ran a great support line for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s try, following Marcus Smith after he intercepted the ball.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso 8
Finished off a great move that started with Smith intercepting the ball. Lively all game, coming off his wing and hunting for possession.
Henry Slade 7
Had played just 55 minutes of rugby this season, but you wouldn’t know it. Such a solid performer. No wonder Borthwick rushed him back.
Ollie Lawrence 6
The quieter of England’s two centres. Not involved much in an attacking sense, but he was solid defensively.
Tommy Freeman 6
Did not have masses of ball, but was bright on the occasion he got it. Tested early on under the high ball, but recovered well.
Marcus Smith 8 | Player of the match
Faultless from the tee, nailing all six of his kicks at goal. Created England’s try with a brilliant interception and break. A majestic display.
Ben Spencer 6
Handed his first Test start in the absence of Alex Mitchell. Caught out at the base of a ruck and had a kick charged down, but settled after that.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Absolutely gutting for George Ford.
Too harsh to question if England should have kept Marcus Smith on there?
Full-time
Simply devastating for England.
The set-up pass for Ford was just a bit too high and it threw him off, that missed by quite a lot in the end.
A third narrow Test defeat for England against the All Blacks this year, and the most gutting by a long distance.
80 mins: Not the tidiest from England but their forwards are now battering against the line with Ford awaiting the drop-goal attempt, as long as New Zealand don’t give away a penalty.
Here it comes... IT’S WIDE RIGHT! THE FINAL WHISTLE SOUNDS AND NEW ZEALAND WIN!
WOW. INCREDIBLE LAST-GASP DRAMA AT TWICKENHAM!
78 mins: England have a kickable penalty with Lienert-Brown in the sin bin... but Ford hits the post with the game on the line! Wow.
It comes back out and England have a scrum with 90 seconds to go!
Incredible drama at Twickenham.
Standard Sport’s Simon Collings at Twickenham
Wow. How on earth has Tele’a got that down? Remarkable.
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