England vs. New Zealand All Blacks: Score and Report from Autumn International
New Zealand produced a dogged display to beat England 24-21 at a rainy Twickenham in the first round of the autumn internationals on Saturday. The result was confirmed by the England Rugby Twitter account:
Tries from Aaron Cruden, Richie McCaw and Charlie Faumuina plus a further nine points from the boots of Cruden and Beauden Barrett did the business for New Zealand.
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England started the match in scintillating style with an early try from Jonny May. While they added another nine points courtesy of Owen Farrell's kicking and a late penalty try, they were unable to contain a rampant All Blacks outfit.
Ahead of this one, England flanker Tom Wood admitted that while there are enticing clashes to come against Australia and South Africa, there’s something a bit special about playing New Zealand, per Tom Fordyce of BBC Sport:
"Regardless of whether they've carried the title of world champions, the All Blacks have always carried the aura of being the benchmark.
It's is always the big game for us. South Africa and Australia pose formidable challenges, but there is something special about the All Blacks.
"
One of the most engrossing segments of any New Zealand match is the pre-match rituals, and Twickenham was packed out to see the All Blacks perform their haka ahead of kick-off, per Sky Sports Rugby:
But the England team were far from intimidated by their illustrious opponents and started the match in magnificent fashion. The home side were on the front foot from the off, affording the All Blacks no chance to inject their patented devastating tempo into proceedings; they got their reward very early on.
It was May who lit up Twickenham with a magnificent score, surging inside his marker before powering towards the touchline. Then he turned on the afterburners and surged over the try line to put England 5-0 up:
England didn't look sated after that early score either and they immediately pushed New Zealand back following the kick-off. And after astutely working the ball across the field with patience, Mike Brown frustratingly dropped the ball forward with a clear run to the try line.
New Zealand are regarded as the world's finest team for a reason though, and after excellent work from Ben Smith saw them snatch some meaningful possession for the first time, they were back on level terms courtesy of a try from Cruden. He couldn't add the extra points though, and the scores were locked at 5-5.
Farrell quickly restored England's advantage, moving them three points clear with a penalty and he repeated the trick a few minutes later to push his team into a six-point lead. But an excessively forceful challenge from Dylan Hartley gave the All Blacks the chance cut the gap back to three points, and Cruden duly obliged.
After a frantic, open start to the match, the game seemed to settle into a pattern halfway through the first period. The English defence were standing up well all in all, but they made an error just before the break and Cruden levelled things up at 11 points apiece. Another Farrell score nudged England ahead just before the referee's whistle; a 14-11 score in England's favour was a fair reflection of proceedings at the interval.
Tom Fordyce of BBC Sport provided a succinct summation of the first 40 minutes:
Indeed, there was a sense that New Zealand would always come strong after the break, and almost immediately they were back in front courtesy of a well-worked try from skipper McCaw. Fortunately for England, Cruden scuffed a simple conversion attempt, leaving the scores poised at 14-16 in favour of the All Blacks.
It was a try against England that had been a long time coming for the iconic New Zealand captain, as noted here by OptaJonny:
After being put under some severe pressure in the second half, England were handed an unexpected lifeline by New Zealand. Dane Coles lashed out with a kick after he was pulled back by Hartley, and after much deliberation, the referee showed the All Black a yellow card, meaning his team had to negotiate the next 10 minutes a man down.
Here's a look at the kick, courtesy of Sky Sports Rugby:
But as the rain crashed down, England found it difficult to gain a foothold. Indeed, it was the depleted New Zealand team that forced the most promising opportunities in the spell without their hooker, and Barrett—a replacement for Cruden—was unable to slot an penalty easy chance to put the All Blacks five points clear.
He made amends almost immediately with a successful kick to make the score 14-19 though, as Sonny Bill Williams surged forward and was illegally halted. In the tricky conditions, both teams were making errors in their handling, in rucks and in mauls, so it was no surprise that plenty of penalties were being conceded, per Ruckin Good Stats:
England were beginning to look sapped as the clock ticked past 70 minutes, and as the All Blacks bossed territory, another score was fast becoming inevitable. They wore the home side's defence down with a sustained spell of possession and brought in prop forward Faumuina to drive the ball over the line; Barrett was unable to convert, moving the score on to 14-24 in favour of the visitors.
An England rally and some fine scrummaging saw them score a penalty try in the latter stages of the match, but a handling error from Chris Robshaw stopped the clock and gave New Zealand a well-earned victory.
While a defeat is a defeat, England can’t afford to be too downhearted after a loss to this magnificent All Blacks side.
There is still plenty of time for Stuart Lancaster’s men to prepare astutely for the World Cup on home soil next year, and with plenty of positive signs here, we’ll receive a clearer indication of their quality in weeks to come when they take on more quality opposition.
But there are few teams on the planet that can measure up to this New Zealand outfit at the moment, and once again, they showed they’re a wonderfully multifaceted squad at an exceptionally tough venue. At this juncture, the All Blacks are the outright and undisputed favourites to retain their world title in 2015.
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