England vs New Zealand LIVE: Rugby result and reaction as England complete incredible comeback to snatch draw
England 25-25 New Zealand: Will Stuart scored two tries as England produced an incredible comeback from 25-6 down with nine minutes to go
England burgled an outrageous 25-25 draw from New Zealand after being out of the running for most of the match, a late brace from Will Stuart helping them to a result which will nonetheless do little to quieten coach Eddie Jones’s critics.
Flanker Dalton Papali’i opened the scoring for New Zealand after just four minutes, appearing to read an English strike play off the tail of their lineout and intercepting Jack van Poortvliet’s pass to run 45 metres untouched. They added a second minutes later, Codie Taylor bundling over from a lineout after England were penalised at the scrum, and the hosts were in bad shape at 0-14 down inside ten minutes.
With England’s attack misfiring all day while New Zealand were for the most part clinical, adding a third through Rieko Ioane, it took until the final 10 minutes for some encouragement for the fractious home fans.
With seemingly nothing to lose, England exploded out of nowhere, Marcus Smith skipping through a gap to set up a close-range Stuart try and Freddie Steward rounding off a free-flowing attack to add another. The Twickenham crowd were delirious when Stuart went over again in the final minute, with Smith converting to complete a remarkable comeback.
Relive all from the autumn international between England and the All Blacks below:
The second half is underway!
Finn Russell gets things restarted.
Scotland 19-15 Argentina
The two sets of players trot back out there. “It was a good first half for us,” says Scottish squad member Ross Thompson to Amazon Prime. “They are definitely not out of it. We’ve still got to make sure we are clinical.”
H/T: SCOTLAND 19-15 ARGENTINA
That Matias Alemanno score means it is a rather more even half-time picture than it looked likely to be when Scotland surged ahead after Marcos Kremer’s sending off. The hosts have produced some fine attacking play, with Finn Russell and Darcy Graham particularly impressive, and will be strong favourites to swell their lead if a 14-man Argentina begin to tire.
But this a gritty, tough Argentine side, and they showed a lot of character at the end of that half. Far from done, this.
TRY! Scotland 19-15 ARGENTINA (Matias Alemanno try, 39 minutes)
A first international try in more than five years for Matias Alemanno!
Argentina don’t bother with the lineout, Pablo Matera taking on the challenge head on with a tap and carry. In pile the rest of the heavy hauliers in support, Scotland struggling to combat their might. Alemanno tucks the ball under his armpit and bashes over.
Emiliano Boffelli converts.
Scotland 19-8 Argentina, 37 minutes
Argentina need a try before half-time, you feel. Karl Dickson’s whistle halts them as they punch around the corner on the five-metre - there has been a knock-on, but not before a no-arms tackle from Scotland.
Scotland 19-8 Argentina, 35 minutes
Argentina hammer against another firmly constructed Scottish defensive wall, but Jonny Gray is penalised for affecting the speed of the ball as his thigh locks inadvertendly around the ball at a ruck. To the right corner, this time.
Scotland 19-8 Argentina, 35 minutes
Scotland just about stall the maul. Argentina keep things tight, both props carrying. A through-kick is the option, again - Santiago Carreras’s poke uses the full depth of the Murrayfield in-goal but a Scottish hand grounds it.
Scotland 19-8 Argentina, 34 minutes
That’s more pleasing for Argentina, bringing down Graham after another menacing weave, and earning a holding o penalty. Into the corner...
Scotland 19-8 Argentina, 32 minutes
Ooh so close to an astonishing, 95-metre score!
Scotland fancy this. Stuart Hogg plays from deep isnide his own 22, drawing two and lasering a pass to Darcy Graham, who had retreated to support his full-back.
Graham evades three defenders and offloads, and there are bodies sprinting through as Chris Harris tries to collect...but the centre can’t hang on!
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