Player ratings: England
England came into this year-end opener in London confident of notching just their ninth-ever victory in this 46th encounter with the All Blacks – and they ultimately agonisingly fell short in a dramatic finale.
Twice, replacement flyhalf George Ford had the opportunity to clinch victory but he incredibly hit an upright with a late, late penalty from distance and was then wide with a clock-in-the-red drop goal attempt to leave New Zealand clinging onto a three tries to one, 24-22 win in front of an 81,910 attendance.
Liam Heagney rates the England players!
15. George Furbank – 7
Absent in July with injury, New Zealand reportedly feared his creativity but defence let him down early, biting in to double-team Wallace Sititi whose sweet offload gave Tele’a an unopposed run in on nine minutes. Made generous amends with the out-and-in support line he ran and the assist he gave in the 44th minute for the Immanuel Feyi-Waboso try.
14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso – 8.5
Meaty presence, he mixed heft in the contact with the sweet, sweet footwork and threatening linebreaks. While he didn’t finish on the winning team, his well-finished, early second-half score was the memory of a lifetime in front of a jam-packed home stadium.
13. Henry Slade – 7
This fixture’s match-fitness gamble, he had his work cut out defensively with the amount of times the All Blacks kicked in behind the England defence. Went the full 80, though, a testament to his engine and resilience to dig in.
12. Ollie Lawrence – 8.5
Manned up massively in defence, he left the scene just before the edge-of-seat finale having completed a chart-topping 22 tackles. His presence was especially vital in getting England back in the contest during an at times shaky first half.
11. Tommy Freeman – 6
Had some encouraging moments, such as breakdown work to help Smith win a pressure-relieving penalty at 6-7, but he lacked the polish that would have made a critical difference. Held up over the line in the second half, it was also in his corner where Tele’a struck for his all-important second try.
10. Marcus Smith – 8.5
Smith 2.0 as an England starter is quite the more effective presence than the previous iteration under Eddie Jones. He contributed 14 points from five kicks in his 63 minutes but, more importantly, his interception of a Cortez Ratima pass and gallop from 22 to 22 was supreme in deciding this result in England’s favour, his craftiness leading to the Feyi-Waboso try. The big question is should have played on instead of being subbed as England lost momentum.
9. Ben Spencer – 8
First Test start at the age of 32 and what a 60-minute appearance it was. Yes, he was caught out on a couple of first-half occasions by some New Zealand breakdown menace, but he made light of the injury absence of Alex Mitchell by varying his play well. Electrified the crowd with his double-kick support of a Mario Itoje bust. Also, kicked a long-range penalty just before the break. Lovely.
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1. Ellis Genge – 6.5
Another missing link from July, he looked tame when left wrong-footed and missing a key tackle for the Will Jordan try on 28 minutes. Crucially, hit back with bristle, effort that included a 35th-minute penalty win at the scrum before the entire front row exited on 53 minutes.
2. Jamie George – 6.5
Gone is the pattern of last year where George at times played the full 80. He was down for treatment twice in the opening half and didn’t make the lineout properly fizz. Tackled well and his leadership was important, though. Deserves kudos that he left with England 19-14 up after coming back from 6-14 down. Returned to the pitch for last act with Theo Dan needing a HIA.
3. Will Stuart – 7
The two-try sub hero in November 2022’s draw, he didn’t write his name into the headlines here but he trucked along encouragingly during his contribution. The highlight was the massive cheer from the England fans when he won an 18th-minute penalty at the scrum.
4. Maro Itoje – 8.5
Brought his A game, delivering a fantastic start to this British and Irish tour selection season. Set the tone with a big carry in the lead-up to the opening penalty points from Smith, and he continued be a positive contributor right through until when he was penalised at the breakdown before the late Tele’a strike.
5. George Martin – 8
Wasn’t as prominent as Itoje in the sense that much of his work was hidden but he continued to be the glue that joins up the England pack effort. His very healthy tackle count was reflective of his important contribution.
6. Chandler Cunningham-South – 8.5
Exited to a huge ovation on 66 minutes, England fans having revelled in the dominant hits he had produced. His examples were many, but one ball-dislodging intervention on 34 minutes on Sititi left the crowd buzzing, highlighting this was a home team that wasn’t going to lose quietly.
7. Tom Curry – 8
Viewed as better bet than Sam Underhill, he took some punishment early on – including an off-the-ball shunt – and looked sluggish getting about for a few minutes but he exited on the hour as his team’s top tackler at that juncture, clear evidence of his value to Borthwick’s game plan.
8. Ben Earl – 8.5
As has now become the norm, he topped his team’s ball carrying chart by a wide margin. His gains were necessary to get England back into the game in the opening half and then press on in the second into what seemed would be a match-winning position.
Source: @RugbyPass