England made it 10 wins from 10 with a 33-19 victory over New Zealand at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
Lawrence (24'), Underhill (42'), Dingwall (54'), Roebuck (76')
Tries
Fainga'anuku (13'), Taylor (17'), Jordan (64')
Ford (43', 55')
Conversions
Barrett (18'), McKenzie (65')
Ford (74')
Penalties
Ford (37', 39')
Drop Goals
England made it 10 wins from 10 with a 33-19 victory over New Zealand at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
It was the first time that England have beaten the All Blacks since winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup semifinal and their first at home since 2012. It also ends New Zealand’s run of five wins at English rugby’s HQ.
Ollie Lawrence, Sam Underhill, Fraser Dingwall, and Tom Roebuck scored the tries for Steve Borthwick’s team, and George Ford added two conversions, a penalty, and two drop goals.
Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor scored early tries, and Beauden Barrett’s first conversion opened an early 12-0 lead. They had no answer as England fought back though, and Will Jordan’s try kept them in touch before Roebuck’s late score put the result beyond doubt.
Ding Dong Dingwell
Fraser Dingwall faced criticism for his showings versus Australia and Fiji, and while they were more chuntering than full on rage, he needed a strong showing against New Zealand and duly delivered.
His six carries and 11 tackles showed that he again did the basics of the inside centre role efficiently, and his try meant what was a sound performance was a very good one. More importantly, he linked well with George Ford at flyhalf and Ollie Lawrence at outside centre.
Ford was Player of the Match after he pulled the strings, while Lawrence was his snarling best, most notably when scoring his try in a manner that shouted, “I won’t be stopped.” His deft hands then put Dingwall into space to cross for his score.
Their growing understanding contrasted with New Zealand’s centres, Quinn Tupaea and Billy Proctor. The duo were very quiet, didn’t give the attack any direction, and were too narrow in defence. Tupaea went off on 55 minutes, and there was no marked improvement from his replacement Anton Lienert-Brown.
Since Ma’a Non’u and Conrad Smith, the All Blacks have struggled to find a pair to build their backline around. England have been patient with Dingwall and are beginning to see the results, New Zealand need to do the same.
Scrums For Fun
Since the 2019 Rugby World Cup final and 2023 semifinal, England fans have always had a slight twitch when talking about their powerful pack, probably because of the way South Africa showed what scrum dominance was.
Now though, the pack is starting to find its mojo again. Tighthead prop Joe Heyes had a good game, and Will Stuart reinforced the pack when he replaced the Leicester Tigers man in the second half. It was the same on the loosehead where the baby-faced Fin Baxter made way for the more experienced Ellis Genge.
On three occasions, England won penalties at the scrum, and when they did opt to catch and drive the lineout, they did so effectively and driven on by their captain Maro Itoje. It will be reassuring to Borthwick that the traditional strengths are beginning to function again.
A Drop Of Genius
It wasn’t like Borthwick was short of options at flyhalf, but he went for his most experienced in George Ford. The Sale Sharks man repaid him in spades with only a disallowed try stopping him securing a full house of point scoring.
Ford helped England set an early, high tempo, and while they couldn’t capitalise, he stayed calm when New Zealand went 12-0 ahead. He pulled his team here and there and dropped the most vital goals in English rugby since he banged over three in Marseille to ensure the 14-man England beat Argentina in their opening 2023 Rugby World Cup match.
Along with Lawrence’s try, they meant England trailed by a single point and two minutes into the second half Underhill crossed and England didn’t relinquish the lead.
Ford’s showing showed up how badly the usually imperious Beauden Barrett played. After being befuddled by a kick early on, he appeared to find his rhythm, but as the match ran away from the All Blacks his lack of control was obvious. There was little shape, the attack was flat, and two kicks to touch badly missed their target. He wasn’t helped by his centres, but maybe it is time to give Damian McKenzie a go from the start.
Dogged Underhill Reminding Borthwick Of Prowess
Sam Underhill has had to wait some time to score against New Zealand. In 2018, he was denied a try that would have given England a late lead at Allianz Stadium after a slight foot movement by Kieran Reed at a ruck. Then, in the 2019 semifinal, he had another ruled out that would have put England out of sight.
This time he wasn’t denied, as he crashed over from close range early in the second half. It was reward not just for his work on the day, but for staying in touch as a host of young pretenders sought to take his number seven shirt.
He was once one of Eddie Jones’ ‘kamikaze kids’ alongside Tom Curry, and while the Sale Sharks man is seen as indispensable and earned a place on two Lions tours, injuries and the rise of Ben Earls in particular have meant Underhill has often been forgotten about.
However, he has shown his tackling and over-ball-work value to Bath, who he helped to a treble last season, and he continues to bring that for England. He’s started two of England’s autumn tests and will be licking his lips at the thought of the Argentina challenge next Sunday. If anyone is any doubt of what a shift he put in, just think about who his opposite number was.
