There were plenty of positives to take away from England’s performance in Dunedin.
But the truth is that Steve Borthwick and his players missed a huge opportunity to secure what would have been a historic victory in New Zealand. They will be gutted to have lost by such a narrow margin and should regret it.
International rugby is all about results. That’s all that matters. And New Zealand were absolutely ready to host them. So while England can be very pleased with their performance, the bottom line is that they lost the match.
Borthwick has a very talented team. England are just getting started, but I am sure this defeat to the All Blacks will be a valuable lesson in how to win close Test matches.
That said, chances of winning in New Zealand are few and far between, and this was certainly one of them. The defeat will sting for the English players and Borthwick as coach for some time to come, that’s for sure.
England will be devastated to have lost by the narrowest of margins and should feel very remorseful about it.
Steve Borthwick has a talented team. England are at the start of their journey, but this defeat to the All Blacks could prove to be a valuable lesson
The Borthwick side were hoping to avenge a one-point defeat at the same venue 10 years ago.
Marcus Smith missed three shots on goal, but I wouldn’t dwell on them too much. I say this because if Smith had been successful with those shots, the All Blacks would have had to change their game and play differently, so who knows what would have happened.
While the missed shots were obviously not ideal from an English perspective, I don’t think they were the only crucial factor in the defeat.
New Zealand also missed a few shots. I don’t blame Smith. I thought he played well and attacked well, which was summed up by the creation of the Immanuel Feyi-Waboso try.
Both teams were brilliant in the first half. It was international rugby at its best.
But in the second half nerves took over the pitch and England in particular kicked a lot, desperately trying to regain the field position they had enjoyed in the first half.
By contrast, Beauden Barrett played a very intelligent kicking game in the final 20 minutes. Perhaps his cool, experienced head was the difference ultimately. When England analyse this game, I wonder if they will look back on the second 40 minutes and think whether they could have played a bit more.
Could they have let a goal go? That’s always an option I like.
England certainly put New Zealand under pressure.
Their blitz defence was very good, with Henry Slade featuring regularly. I think the defence has improved significantly since the Six Nations.
Yes, the All Blacks scored two tries and had their attacking moments, but a team as good as New Zealand is always going to create opportunities.
Damian McKenzie’s late penalty secured victory for the hosts, who trailed 15-10 early in the second half.
Sevu Reece outpaced Tommy Freeman to score the first try of the game and the Robertson era
England cannot rue Smith’s missed shots, but they should have won the match. You could see the relief on Scott Robertson’s face as he claimed his first win. It was a tough game for New Zealand, who had only played 10 days in a row since November under a new coach, experienced players gone and new combinations to foster. They will be delighted with the victory.
Borthwick is putting together an impressive team and England had star players throughout the match. Chandler-Cunningham South played a great game and Feyi-Waboso was superb.
The Exeter winger scored a try, but he did much more than that. In the second half, he created his own try by opting to run from behind rather than kick, and Slade also worked hard to score again. Feyi-Waboso’s defending was superb and, for a young player, his all-round playing attributes were on display. He made no mistakes.
Maro Itoje stepped up and I was impressed by George Furbank. The defender took two hard blows but overcame them like a champion boxer.
Ollie Lawrence, who was the player I was most interested in watching from an England perspective, had a solid game. Like Feyi-Waboso, he still has a lot to give and that is very exciting. The first 50 minutes showed real progress in attack and Smith looked great in a hostile environment.
I would love to see an alternate reality of this game where Smith and Alex Mitchell played the full 80 minutes.
One thing England won’t be happy with, aside from the obvious result, is the scrum.
I thought Fin Baxter made a very good debut after coming on as an early replacement for Joe Marler.
Marcus Smith impressed but struggled at times with his kicking and missed a chance to put his team ahead early on.
But he had to play much longer than I’m sure Borthwick had planned and there is no doubt that New Zealand had the better of the set-pieces. They also counter-attacked England on several occasions, something that Borthwick, as an attacking specialist, must not have been happy with.
The All Blacks have not been sensational by any stretch and will be better off for Saturday’s second Test match in Auckland, having played one game. That is a concern for England.
And it is also another reason why this defeat will and should hurt the team for some time.