The precision of Eddie Jones’s side put New Zealand on the back foot, making them look defensively vulnerable and reliant on individual creativityNew Zealand are not a very good wet‑weather team so grinding out this victory, having got themselves in a hole against a spirited England side, will do wonders for their confidence. But there will also be a wariness about the All Blacks because England were tactically superior on the day and it can clearly be said that, with less than a year to go until the World Cup, their rivals are closing the gap.Ireland will be a huge test on Saturday, at the end of a long season for New Zealand, and England have showed that the All...
It felt like this match was coming 12 months too late but after a brave display it is like England’s coach is starting afreshThe rain came 30 minutes before kick‑off but the storm broke only when the match started, the first collision the opening crack of thunder. It blew for two hours until, in the very end, England lost a brilliantly entertaining, brutally competitive game, 16-15. They had pushed the best team in the world right to the brink. Back in 2016, Eddie Jones promised that “everything we are doing now is about coming up with a game to beat New Zealand, to make them uncomfortable. You can and hopefully will see that by 2018.” Two years later, England were...
Brodie Retallick produced a colossal display as New Zealand ate into England’s early lead to win 16-15 at TwickenhamThey came to see Beaudy’s black magic – they left in awe of Brodie’s mastery of the dark arts. This will inevitably be remembered as the one New Zealand got away with but it would be an injustice to Brodie Retallick’s towering performance to say the TMO was the most influential figure at Twickenham.For Retallick was a colossus for the All Blacks. They call him the Guzzler for his relentless appetite for work and he had his fill, inspiring New Zealand’s comeback from 15-0 down. He stole three lineouts, denying England the chance to capitalise on their second-half chances – Jamie George...
England’s defence is aided by an old master, Wales prepare to face their old nemeses and Larmour rises to the occasion Related: Owen Farrell escapes being cited over André Esterhuizen tackle Related: Refusal to bow shows England ready for All Black ‘benchmark’ | Robert Kitson Related: Wales win over Australia would not be monkey off back, says Warren Gatland Continue reading...
Jones’s side look increasingly like their co-captain Farrell’s side as Saracens fly-half’s work-rate and fortitude prove keyThey have gussied up Twickenham, building a new swooping facade on the back of the old East Stand and a pair of wrought iron gates with the words to Jerusalem stencilled into them around the other side of the ground. It looks a little awkward, all these pretty little frills on those brutal old pressed concrete grandstands, with their exposed pipes and endless zigzag staircases; the stadium is an odd combination of ugly structures and fancy flourishes, as if it does not quite know what it is trying to be. At least it is finished, though, unlike the team who play there. Eddie Jones...