The All Blacks have fought back for a dramatic 24-22 victory over England at Twickenham, thanks to a late converted try for Mark Tele’a and two missed shots at goal for replacement home first-five George Ford.
In the final frenzied minutes, with Anton Lienert-Brown in the sinbin for a high tackle, Ford hit the right post with a penalty and then, after Patrick Tuipulotu caught the ball and lost it in contact, the England playmaker pushed his desperate dropped goal wide of the posts.
After leading 14-12 at halftime, New Zealand had to fight back from an eight-point deficit, and withstand enormous pressure in the face of a disintegrating lineout and horrendous penalty count against them.
That they made it was largely down to an impressively rejuvenated scrum that opened the door slightly and, with Tele’a in such good finishing form — he beat three would-be defenders to dot down in the right corner for his second try — the visitors were always a chance.
Credit too must go to Damian McKenzie, who kicked the crucial conversion a metre in from the sideline with about three minutes remaining.
His composure has been criticised over the past month or so, but this was a masterclass in technique under enormous pressure and it got his side over the line.
"D-Mac got one,” said coach Scott Robertson. “He was due wasn’t he?
"Our bench came on, they were massive. We didn’t get everything right tonight, but we got enough right.”
Off his seat in the final minutes and clearly delighted at the result, Robertson had a few heroes, but none were bigger or better than blindside flanker Wallace Sititi, who put Tele’a in for his first try with a sensational offload and was consistently outstanding on both sides of the ball.
Another who deserves praise is replacement hooker Asafo Aumua, who was on after only three minutes, after a head injury for Codie Taylor.
While the lineout fell to pieces in the second half, Aumua can’t be held solely to blame and his defence was inspirational at times.
England attempted to play at pace and tempo early, a surprising approach, given this was their first Test of the new season, after their two close defeats in New Zealand in July.
There was no issue with their defensive intensity, but gradually the All Blacks gained momentum, with Tele’a over in the opening quarter, a try converted from the right by Beauden Barrett, in reply to Marcus Smith’s penalty.
The All Blacks’ knack for conceding penalties — especially tackling off the ball — kept England in it and, while Will Jordan combined brilliantly with Beauden Barrett to go over, Smith’s four penalties (in an 8-1 first-half penalty count) meant the home side were very much alive at halftime.
Tuipulotu’s introduction for Tupou Vaa’i a minute after halftime brought a new momentum to the All Blacks and they were on the brink of causing real difficulties, when Cortez Ratima’s pass to Jordan was intercepted by Smith, whose winding run set up wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso for the try that gave England the lead for the first time.
This was a huge setback, given the All Blacks’ second-half difficulties this year, and while Ratima did well to win a turnover penalty to ease the pressure, his pack threw it away by knocking the ball on in a shambolic lineout.
Still, gaps were appearing in the England defensive line, and replacement props Ofa Tu'ungafasi and Pasilio Tosi made their presence felt.
The breakout moment seemed to be Barrett's, when he was over the line in what appeared to be a sensational try, but Caleb Clarke was penalised for an intentional knockon and the score ruled out.
Smith’s penalty pushed the deficit out to eight points, but there was far more drama to come, with McKenzie — in the absence of Barrett (head injury assessment) — pushing the All Blacks closer with a penalty of his own.
The All Blacks kept at it and now it was England’s turn to concede penalties — and they did so in such cynical ways (at the breakdown) that they must have been close to conceding yellow cards too.
Regardless, Tele’a was over during one penalty advantage, with McKenzie adding the crucial extras.
There was more to come. England went short with the restart, won possession, Lienert-Brown got his marching orders and Ford missed with a penalty from the right side.
Tuipulotu’s drop gave England an attacking scrum, but the All Blacks pack had confidence now and almost pushed them off it. The home side were under pressure and, finally, Ford sprayed his desperate dropped goal attempt wide.
The All Blacks put up a scratchy, mistake-ridden performance, but they came through — a crucial victory beforef the Ireland Test in Dublin next Saturday NZT and France in Paris the weekend after.
Barrett's absence at the end for a head injury assessment, along with Taylor's early sidelining, will be other issues this week.
All Blacks 24 (Mark Tele’a 2, Will Jordan tries; Beauden Barrett 2 conversions, Damian McKenzie penalty, conversion) England 22 (Immanuel Feyi-Waboso try; Marcus Smith 5 penalties, conversion)
Halftime: 14-12
SHARE ME