England’s mission on the eve of this Test series is to change some perceptions in New Zealand. They want the All Blacks to “know who we are” and leave behind the baggage of past failures. On a mesmerizing night in Auckland, they once again left their mark on the hearts of New Zealanders but failed to become the first team in 30 years to win against the hosts’ supposedly impregnable fortress.
There will be other days, not least when New Zealand come to Twickenham for the rematch this November. But on a cool night, the visiting team led 17-13 towards the end of the game and once again failed to launch a fatal blow. The All Blacks won 2-0, extending England’s winless streak in New Zealand since 2003. .
Ultimately, two tries from winger Mark Tele’a got the All Blacks home, but even the most rugby-obsessed New Zealander couldn’t deny England’s wholehearted contribution to this fascinating series. Maro Itoje was outstanding again, Marcus Smith had an eye-catching game and Manny Feyi-Waboso was growing for him reputation adds even more luster.
England were still pressing for an equalizer in the dying seconds of the game, but the TMO ruled they had hit a snag in their drive to the line, ruling out any penalty. New Zealand were quick to kick the ball away at the first opportunity and once again there were relaxed looks on many of the locals’ faces.
It all makes for a great entertainment experience. England’s game no longer seemed in need of a cautious start and the game started like a scalded cat. New Zealand had a try after just 11 minutes, setting up a platform from an initial scrum penalty that eventually saw Trea sneak into the left corner from the unmarked blindside to score.
However, within minutes England responded with a fine score of their own. Smith found the All Blacks relatively lacking cover outside and unleashed a perfect cross-kick that Fay Waboso completed from seven metres. The young wing still has a lot to do, but his off-speed acceleration leaves two stunned defenders trailing behind him.
If the visitors were slightly lucky, with both All Blacks’ ominous breakthroughs foiled by fine tackles from Tommy Freeman and Smith, they themselves caused attacking problems simply because of the onrushing Ollie Lawrence. A few minor fumbles were thwarted. It was a beautiful dry day, but late afternoon dew complicated life for both teams.
Damian McKenzie’s 20th-minute penalty quickly restored New Zealand’s lead, but England aimed to press the pace regardless and the All Blacks found themselves in the long Trapped inside their own half, which is unusual for their sacred home ground. Even though they escaped Maro Itoje’s crucial lineout to relieve the pressure, it didn’t quite reflect when McKenzie’s second penalty made it 13-7. The balance of the game.
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After the half-time whistle, although England fought back again and had the advantage, Smith again kicked a high cross ball. This time it was Freeman lurking under the ball and the Northampton wing rose brilliantly to pull the ball out of the dark night sky and score from the same right-hand corner. Smith endured a difficult spell in the first Test but bravely converted an angle to put England 14-13 ahead.
Maintaining this momentum was obviously vital and, to their credit, England kept the tempo high. They also enjoyed a nice little bonus when the All Blacks’ Dalton Papali’i thought he had stolen a Jackals turnover, only for the penalty to be reversed for obstruction and allow Smith to Three more points.
Now, however, the All Blacks’ cavalry had arrived, with the reliable and classy Beauden Barrett threading his way through a sizable gap to set up Tele’a’s second try of the night. Ready. Going into the final quarter, it felt like it was anyone’s game, but the weight of history still hung in the air. Barrett’s forward volley looked, for a moment, like he had done something truly spectacular, but in the end, it was a lackluster offside call that pushed New Zealand further ahead. England gave their all but failed to get a happy ending for the second week running.
