New Zealand v England LIVE rugby: Result as Borthwick’s side suffer heartbreak against All Blacks in thriller
New Zealand 24-17 England: The tourists were attempting to beat the All Blacks at Eden Park for the first time in 30 years
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England narrowly missed out on becoming the first side to conquer the All Blacks at Eden Park in 30 years as New Zealand secured a 24-17 victory in Auckland.
The hosts clung on in the final moments to make certain of a 2-0 series victory after their bench made a decisive impact to swing the contest the home side’s way. Beauden Barrett sparked his team into life on the hour, creating a second try for the impressive Mark Tele’a and turning the screw with his intelligent kicking game.
But Steve Borthwick will rue the missed opportunities of a tour that showed the promising future at his side’s fingertips. Having been pipped by a point in Dunedin, England never quite had enough in the final quarter to get over the line in Auckland having seemed in control with Marcus Smith influential from the tee and in open play.
Two crossfield kicks from fly half Smith created tries for both England wings in the first half, but it was not enough to breach the All Blacks’ fortress as the hosts held firm in the final minute. The two sides will tussle again at Twickenham in November.
Re-live all of the action from New Zealand vs England below:
TRY! NEW ZEALAND 18-17 England (Mark Tele’a, 62 minutes)
Beauden Barrett sparks a score and Mark Tele’a has a second!
What an impact the former World Player of the Year has had! This is precisely the role that Scott Robertson has asked the experienced creator to play, a bench role he excelled at the start of his career now one he is mastering again. England never recover from failing to find touch after that lineout on their own five-metre line, short of numbers as the All Blacks sweep around to the left. Damian McKenzie puts it in Barrett’s hands and on to the accelerator he steps, eating up the tarmac like the smoothest of cruisers, V8 purring on an open road.
Draw, pass, and Tele’a gambols with glee. McKenzie can’t quite convert but New Zealand have at last come to life!
New Zealand 13-17 England, 60 minutes
Canny from Jamie George, not chancing a throw even to the middle and instead finding the safe embrace of the massive Chandler Cunningham-South at the front of the lineout. England clear beyond halfway, though back the All Blacks will come through new man Anton Lienert-Brown (on for Rieko Ioane).
New Zealand 13-17 England, 59 minutes
Much more like it from the eldest Barrett brother. Ardie Savea steals a lineout and B Barrett leads the chase, clutching Freddie Steward at the ankles and allowing his team mates to pour into the ruck to earn possession.
The replacement dusts himself down and threads a lovely grubber to the corner off his weaker left peg.
New Zealand 13-17 England, 57 minutes
Nine handling errors and ten turnovers coneded already for New Zealand - that sort of inaccuracy is so atypical on home soil. Still plenty of time, of course, for them to overturn this narrow England advantage but the All Blacks have seldom escaped their own half in the last wee while.
Beauden Barrett is on at full-back, though slices his first clearing kick.
New Zealand 13-17 England, 56 minutes
Scott Robertson turns to his bench: Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Fletcher Newell and Tupou Vaa’i are thrown into the fray for Ethan de Groot, Tyrel Lomax and Patrick Tuipulotu.
The former pair get their first action wrong, pushing too soon at the scrum. England tap the free kick quickly and Marcus Smith cleverly plays a territorial game by prodding into the corner. A pressure lineout for Codie Taylor...but England waste the opportunity to put the pressure on by closing the gap.
New Zealand 13-17 England, 54 minutes
A real nervous energy around Eden Park with the All Blacks yet to get out of second gear since returning from the interval. We are so used to seeing the New Zealand team of old kick on at this stage - but has this side got it in them?
The noise lifts as Mark Tele’a intercepts Marcus Smith and sets off in pursuit of a second score. Alas, advantage was not close to over from a knock-on from Ardie Savea.
New Zealand 13-17 England, 53 minutes
A change at scrum half for New Zealand. Finlay Christie limps off which means a debut for Cortez Ratima.
New Zealand 13-17 England, 53 minutes
Hmm. Up go appealing England hands as Mark Tele’a rushes up on Marcus Smith and sends the ball spilling to the floor, denying the fly half the chance to make optimal use of a three-man overlap. Was that deliberate or just in the tackle? The latter, the officials conclude - clever from Tele’a, just about keeping his challenge on the right side of the law while extending a blocking left arm.
New Zealand 13-17 England, 51 minutes
Dan, thankfully, seems relatively ok having initially been poleaxed but Jamie George may well have to go 80 minutes here.
England just about survive the scrum but are then short of numbers on their right defensive edge, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso doing well to get back to Mark Tele’a before the wing can chip ahead past the last defender.
New Zealand 13-17 England, 50 minutes
Theo Dan is on, too, but the hooker is down almost immediately, taking a nasty knee to the head as an All Black carries. Jamie George’s leave is short-lived - the England captain returns having not even taken a seat on the bench with Dan rightly going for a head injury assessment at least.
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