Steve Borthwick’s gamble pays off as England outclass All Blacks in statement win

Join the Miguel Delaney team: Inside Football Join the Miguel Delaney Inside newsletter to get exclusive access and unparalleled insight. Football NewsletterJoin the Miguel Delaney inside Football As England stood in their own post, behind the All Blacks by 12-0, with only 20 minutes left, they might have thought that the game was over. ‘not again…’ The fact that you have only won two of your 21 previous matches against the same team can be a cause for concern. But this England version showed maturity and growth to fight back and win the match in the second half. World Cup markers set almost two years before the tournament? That is probably a claim too far but the Steve Borthwick project is rattling along nicely and his side look to be building something truly special as many rivals begin to falter.Borthwick’s gamble of stacking the bench with six British and Irish Lions, and 317 caps of experience, perhaps very slightly at the expense of the starting XV, paid dividends. Eddie Jones described his replacements. ‘finishers’ but it’s under this England coach that the ‘Pom Squad’ The All Blacks have mastered the art of putting an end to Test matches. In the four previous matches, one match had ended in a draw, and All Blacks won by 1, 2, and 7 points, respectively. Borthwick relied on his starters to keep England in the match and let the big guns finish it in those crucial moments. As Scotland and Ireland can attest, the All Blacks are also capable of taking over games within the final 20-minutes. But, this time around, their backups were powerless to stop a white tidal surge that was coming down on them. From 12-0 down, they racked up 25 straight points – with Ollie Lawrence at the heart of their most impressive play – before a Will Jordan try 15 minutes from time briefly caused concern. Cool heads prevailed and a penalty try was added in the final moments of the game to complete an impressive victory. England celebrated an incredible win over the All Blacks. The expectation is to win the first Six Nations since 2020. Then? What could they achieve? The fact that the Allianz Stadium erupted in a roar when Ellis Genge and Will Stuart came off the bench on 56 minutes, along with Tom Curry and Henry Pollock, shows that the fans are buying into the message that Borthwick and co. have been selling. The fans were rewarded by another All Blacks memory that can be added to the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup and the masterclass of 2012 Manu Tuilagi. Before the first whistle blew, the intensity was already high. England stood defiantly around the All Blacks in a semicircle, Jamie George and Pollock at each point, glaring directly at them. Pollock in particular relished his role. He was licking and blinking barely in anticipation. For someone whose in-your-face personality seems to have offended rugby’s more traditional elements, this was the perfect use of the never-shy 20-year-old.open image in galleryEngland stared down the All Blacks haka before kick-off (Adam Davy/PA Wire)The Allianz Stadium crowd did their part too by singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot throughout as the ground buzzed in anticipation of what was to come. New Zealand made a statement. However, the All Blacks made a statement once the match began. They jumped out to a 12-0 advantage in the first quarter, as their kicking game pinched the hosts. Leicester Fainga’anuku, whose middle name is Twickenham thanks to his father playing at the venue for Tonga during the 1999 World Cup, was the most fitting of opening try scorers as he burrowed over from close range. Shortly after, Codie Taylor dotted down in the same corner after collecting Billy Proctor’s long bounce pass and stepping inside the covering Alex Mitchell in a move set up by Cam Roigard’s scintillating 50:22 box-kick.A two-score deficit to the All Blacks is never a good place to be but this current England team have a confidence borne from a nine-game winning streak. They were enjoying some kicking success of their own, with Freddie Steward reclaiming his mantle as perhaps the northern hemisphere’s premier aerial threat after some struggles during the win over Australia.open image in galleryThe aerial battle was crucial in deciding this Test match (REUTERS)Steward’s 22nd-minute exit with a head injury was a blow, although Borthwick’s decision to give the No 23 shirt to the more versatile Marcus Smith, as opposed to his namesake Fin, was validated, and England hit back. Immanuel feyi-waboso sprinted into the 22 after a series of quick offloads and impressive hands. From that platform, the hosts scored from first-phase ball off a scrum with Lawrence demonstrating the physical gifts that make him such an exciting option in the No 13 jersey, pushing would-be tackler Leroy Carter to the ground before bouncing off Beauden Barrett’s attempted stop to stretch out for the score.When George Ford continued his concerted one-man campaign to Make Drop Goals Great Again by slotting a pair of them in the minutes before half-time, England had staved off disaster to narrow the gap to just a single point.open image in galleryGeorge Ford’s two drop goals helped bring England back into the contest (Getty Images)And within three minutes of the restart, the game was flipped completely on its head. Ten minutes in the sin-bin for Taylor for playing the ball on the ground put the All Blacks on the back foot and Mitchell’s snipe towards the line put them further on their heels, allowing the supreme Sam Underhill to power over the line for a six-point English lead.Lawrence showed another string to his bow when his deft offload to a crashing Fraser Dingwall after drawing in a defender enabled his centre partner to dot down for a 25-12 advantage on 55 minutes and meant the quartet of Genge, Stuart, Curry and Pollock subsequently ran on to join fellow replacement Luke Cowan-Dickie – who had come on for a hobbling George shortly before – with the game there for the taking.Huge celebrations as they promptly won a scrum penalty on halfway was proof positive of the energy that the ‘Pom Squad’ inject and although Jordan strolled under the posts for a try 15 minutes from time that cut the lead to a single score, Ford’s nerve-settling 75-minute penalty response ensured this would be England’s day. Borthwick’s veterans did exactly what was needed. There’s something very special happening in Twickenham. There might be something special brewing in Twickenham after taking out the All Blacks with such style.
2025-11-15 17:48:09