International rugby is in such an amazing place right now. I absolutely would not want as a rugby fan to see the days when it was 2 or 3 teams and then everyone else far behind. Having such a high level of competition at the highest level (and all levels) is fantastic!!
I agree totally, that's why the comments of nz not being unbeatable anymore is so silly, isn't that what everyone wanted, there is no difference between the top five on any given saturday
Kiwi here - was really impressed by England. Really like their style. The fullback and number 6 were fantastic. ABs were lucky to sneak the win. I hope England turn up next week and continue to push our team. We need the pressure to prepare us for a huge 2 game trip to South Africa.
Baxter at 22 has amazed me. As a Springbok supporter, I am neutral in this game but loved England's aggression. What an exciting game. I am so glad to see England improve from the Eddy Jones era. Steve Borthwick is doing an excellent job, and I can see Felix Jones' signature in this game. He is a great asset to England. And a hard worker.
How is Borthwick doing an excellent job? This is the best prepared English team to Nz in over 20 years and they could not win. Isn’t that Borthwicks job? (You can’t say they’re improving against such a poor AB team - that was backwards from the Ireland win).
@@alexanderskitch687 - do you think that AB team was better than the Irish team and in the 6N? I don’t - how can England be improving if they lost to a worse team?
Borthwick is Definetly cooking something special with this team and the addition of Felix Jones is a masterstroke because he is replicating the springbok defence system .
Watching England v the Boks in the World Cup they appeared to be copying the 2019 Boks plan. I said then Borthwick will copy the 2023Boks plan now and you can see it in this game. They are getting there, however Rassie is busy with a new plan now. Can’t wait.
Funny that England choose to follow the SA way and not the so called exciting NZ way. Guess not everybody thinks like old Fozzie who always had his mouth full.
Happy with the result against that English side. They’re very good. Bench made a difference for the ABs as did the change in tactics to box kick and play territory with a tight game. That young English prop that subbed on for Marler did well given the occasion and fact it was his debut.
Great game to watch. Being English I'd hate to see any negative England comments from England fans on that performance, to go to All blacks in their home yard to play a game like that to be so close i think you should only take positives. I've seen a couple comments on instagram post saying Smith lost the game because of kicking, but it's swings and roundabouts, he also made some important tackles and assisted our try. I think overall All Blacks deserved to win but i'm still happy with our performance. Felix Jones hasn't been our defence coach that long but it's starting to come together. Sets up for another hopefully tight 2nd test game!
@@hithere3035Hithere great post . Totally agree great performance from England ,and we expected it from this promising side. That’s a long way from whet we expected and got from this team when Borthers took over . Bench was the difference and England will be better for this experience,Chessum Ford and Genge have been missed in that respect 🏴
And how good was Sevu Reece! Besides the try, several line breaks, breakdown turnovers and several bone-crunching tackles after a year and a half away from test footie. The England fullback and Itoje also looked brilliant.
@@richdv6800because when they ran it they were getting smashed behind the gain line. Then we have a turnover and England scores. Except for Reece the AB kick chase was poor. They do come up in one wall across the field but at least one or two kick chasers would have helped.
Maybe I am alone in this - but, kicking aside, that felt like Marcus Smith's best game in an England shirt. Defensively he seemed to make every tackle - including a few hard one on ones which stopped half breaks. In offence, he ran the show really well. No big individual moments, but kept the attack ticking over. That said, it seemed to be an England tactic to grubber kick in the 22. One from Smith was ok (mostly due to a really good chase from Marcus), and two from Slade, one which was poor and one which was blocked. And, I would just point out that the missed kicks weren't the difference. In total England dropped 8 points from kicks, NZ 7 (2 missed conversions, 1 timed-out penalty). So at face level, a draw at best (with NZ dominating possession and territory in the last 20, likely they would still have gone on to win). But, one missed kick resulted in a restart from NZ which England went on to get a try from. So took 5 points rather than 3. So the missed kicks resulted in -5 (with + 2 from a try) from kicks by England, -7 from NZ. If both sides got their kicks, NZ would likely have won by more. The real difference between the teams seemed to be the scrums, and the strength of the substitutes. Beauden Barrett came on and out territory gamed Mitchell and Marcus, and then Finn Smith and Spencer, in part because we lost a bit of go forward and tried to tighten up. Would have preferred to see England open up, instead of tighten up in the last 20. Those deeper kicks, with Feyi-Waboso, Furbank and Marcus still on could have been countered, rather than trying to out squeeze a more experienced kicking core. Overall, great game. Including the semi-final of the WC, England have lost by 1 points to SA & NZ (away), beaten Ireland (home) and lost by 2 points to France (away). Feels like the gap between England and the big 4 has really narrowed.
kiwi here. watched the game in Sydney with some lovely England chaps at the AB's Supporters Bar. I thought England's defence and loosies was immense. They are the real deal. Razor has alot of work ahead of him.
??? NZ figured it out they adapted, they changed, the fronted up late in the game and overcome them. Razor won us that made early changes and adapted on the fly. He’s gonna be a great coach
@idgaf2024 Bro, what? I was at the game, England's rush defence was very good. We didn't overcome it, hence the emphasis on penalty goals in the second half.
@@melodysleeping3807 thought he was a bit weird or inexperienced with the scrums and missed some field play but largely made mistakes in both directions on the field
Christie knocked on close to the end………and the ref said play on!!!!!!!That should have been an England ball. Jordie was really quiet and off his game I can’t understand McKenzie kicking away so much ball. I don’t think that he is the future 10 for the AB’s. With Beaudons intro, things went better I don’t think the tight 5 for NZ or England are the real deal
But wiley! The experienced props stepped back in the scrum before the ball was put in a few times which let them get away with not being pushed a few times
Steve Borthwick is quietly building a very formidable team in England. He made us stand with that world cup performance. This has cemented the fact that they're no flash in the pan.
Awesome game! Both teams look like they have good squads that while a bit rusty now, have the foundations well set for the future! What a weekend... Rugby heaven!
@@KevinNangle-r5p it's why we got Pollard back into the squad at the WC when Manie was misfiring. It's the difference between winning and losing at this level. You can't leave 9 points on the pitch!
They actually didn't. In total England dropped 8 points from kicks, NZ 7 (2 missed conversions, 1 timed-out penalty). But, one missed kick resulted in a restart from NZ which England went on to get a try from. So took 5 points rather than 3. So the missed kicks resulted in -5 (with + 2 from a try) from kicks by England, -7 from NZ.
@Narapoia1 Pollard started well against the Irish and then went pearshaped for 3 kicks. Valid criticism against Pollard that he raises his game during World Cups or against the ABs but other times goes missing.
A Bok-style defence built by an Irishman, now used by England 😂 certainly is an international game! Good luck to the Boks and Irish today, buzzing for that one 🎉
@@Davidvx1468 I thought he was brought in pre 2019 as a "defence consultant" and created the system ahead of the WC but if I'm wrong I stand corrected! That was the story I read before the 6 nations anyway!
@laurencegoodacre8428 you're correct, he was brought in as a consultant, but the defence department was largely Nienaber's baby. But Hats off to Felix tho, he was definitely a net positive, especially from a technical standpoint 💯
The passion for our beloved game of rugby is now at an all time high..I'm putting my money on the next world cup final is between England and South Africa
I enjoyed the game. I love that England, Ireland, SAF, France, and NZ are in a very competitive group in world rugby. The days of NZ and SAF dominance are over for now, and the NH teams have come into play.
@@ho627730 years and 60 games unbeaten at Eden Park. I would love England to win, but I can’t see it happening sadly. Arguably the hardest achievement in rugby
Smith will rue his missed kicks. One being a real sitter. Should have let Slade take over. Ben Spencer not the person to bring on in a frantic last quarter when you need to spark something… when in the lead comfortably, then yes, defensively box kick until the final whistle. Also he was ponderous at that maul edging into their 22 and that was a huge mistake. Sometimes waiting on a 50/50 penalty call does not work - particularly against NZ. We looked most dangerous with Mitchell not standing on ceremony and whipping it away from the base.
@@joedennehy386 ridiculous - there is a time for ultra defensive pragmatism but that wasn’t it - you need to bury the ABs properly - especially at home. Waiting on dubious calls at mauls and breakdowns, slapping opponents arses at the breakdown whinging for pens … that’s not the way to win against them, especially around the 10 metre line each side of halfway.
@@cybertrophic agree - I think one particularly was due to the person outside him disconnecting though in the fly-up?? Can’t recall who. That’s the dog leg propensity of a blitz defence if the line isn’t ultra connected in one smooth motion press
What a match! Could have gone either way. Also: One of the most ferocious kapa o’pango haka performances I’ve ever seen the All Blacks do. You knew an intense match would follow.
D MAC was enormous the skill,passes vision gr8.razor bringing tht old physicality back lots to do though first game,but boy wht a game...eng rush def..diff eng side now cnt wait for nxt week😊
Kirwan must be so proud of the great running Rugby the all blacks just won with.....right? 😂 Could not help myself, thank you for a great show Tim, love having you as our guest.
Ridiculous comment obviously from a kiwi. If a play warrants a card then a competent ref will act accordingly. It has nothing to do with the ref wanting to not ruin the game. You should tell your team to work on their discipline instead
@@SamWhite-no6ddit’s not a strange take to feel that cards are used more than they should. Since 10 years ago red cards have gone from almost never being used to being commonplace. It’s a directive and not everyone agrees with it. And when games don’t have cards they are better for everyone
@@cdaly3561 yes and if you have been keeping up with proceedings, you'd know that studies have found that contact to the head causes all sorts of health problems later down the line. Hence the directive to stamp it out of the game with red card sanctions.
So now, a one point Game also benefits Razor and NOT ONLY the Bokke…Ironic how the saga of the Game of RF plays its own script relentlessly England should’ve won, but it was Razor’s turn to make it to the draw with finding a way to win You are spot on there Tim… Great posting, thanks‼️ 👊🔥 🪖
@@matthewvanrensburg3824 yes excuse for the touring side. Damien a two kicks were out right by the touch line so fair enough to miss. He shouldn't have timed out that last penalty though. That was bad.
Nick Evans made a very good point on Sky Sports. This was the one England would have targeted and almost needed to win, NZ are only going to get better after being in camp for only 10 days and now going to Eden Park where they have not lost in god knows how long. It will be hugely difficult for England to back this up
Wins the game, but still Blames the ref 😂😂. Kiwis are never happy unless it's a 30+ beat down win. Perhaps double check players positioning and remember that they are used to being officiated by their own hometown refs (getting away with a lot around the ruck)
What game did you watch? The ref was man of the match for New Zealand. Even Scott Barrett mentioned they were lucky with the refs call at the end of the game. 😂
@@elscruffomcscruffy8371 You must be either English or a Saffa... Talk about ruck?! England practically lived on the NZ side, flopping all over the ball. Guess you see it the way you want to.
Don't put the defeat on smith as he did so much that was good. Left a win out there, some great individual performances and what a future with CCS, Baxter, Martin, IFW. Feel we lost it with a few silly penalties from the subs (Curry, Coles), and Spencer was just slow at the rucks and too long with his kicks. Finally we can now really put the Joines/Farrell era to rest.
Not a bad start to a world cup cycle for England is it- so much there already to build on. Exciting stuff. With you on wanting all the top teams to be firing. Great content thanks.
@idgaf2024 no coles,retallick,whitelock,cane frizzel,Smith,faianganuku,mouanga either.😂to lose all those places too from WC final team I say we'll done razor.😊
@@BertFlashman yep fair call there.lol.so u just had the six nations games.ummm Wales lost,Ireland lost and England lost lol all to teams playing their first tests of the yr.lol.
As a NZ fan, I enjoyed the game, but I was disappointed by the ABs performance. It was a 50/50 game that could easily have gone in England's favour. The ABs clearly have not yet found a consistent, successful counter to the English rush defense. However, it's their first game under the new AB coaching set up, so I give them the benefit of the doubt. Look forward to the second match.
The AB's haven't found a counter to the rush defense ever since it came into vogue c 2017. and btw, call the rush defence what it really is i.e offside play.The English were pretty much offside all game.
@@richardscanlan3419 Nah, the rush defence pushes up fast, with the last defender targeting the second channel. The aim of the defence is to prevent the ball going wide and keep the ball in the middle of the field. I'd like to see the ABs take a leaf out of Ireland's books about how to successfully counter it.
@@Tehui1974 I think the only way to counter it is keeping your attack in close and just driving up the middle.You will then force the defensive screen to come in and that has to create space out wide. This should be obvious to Razor,what I saw from the AB's was the usual spreading the ball just for the sake of it. The template is there for Robertson - look no further than how the Blues played this yr.
It's been a long time coming but at last we can see a pattern and an intent from Borthwick's England. We still have a lack of depth in the front row, particularly at 3 and Marcus let himself down a bit today but this performance was light years away from the risible crap that Jones served up in his last 18 months.
Great game for the neutral. last penalty call was pretty tough on England, thought the NZ players threw themselves straight off feet on the wrong side of the ball and prevented any chance of presenting the ball back. Ref did have a great game though. He's really becoming one of the best in the game. Incredibly fine margins. NZ already looking very sharp at times and scary to think how they'll improve over time.
Yes even Scott Barrett mentioned they were lucky that last call went their way. I thought the crock role is not allowed anymore. I stopped counting the amount of times the All Black chacers were in front of the kicker from box kicks. New Zealand benifited from good calls at very crucial stages.
@@Andy_M986 The ref was as good as we can expect any referee to be. As a neutral, I thought that a couple of decisions were a bit strange but it was a consistent performance and fair contest. Taking a dig at SOME New Zealand fans and pundits... I was having a chuckle at the cheers from the home crowd when the TMO interjected and gave the home team the advantage (croc roll and who was to get the lineout). I thought they didn't want the TMO involved? Dig over, it was nice to see not only the TMO getting involved in an attempt to ensure a fair contest, but also (and here I have to side with the NZ fans) quickly and efficiently without 20 minutes wasted looking at a screen for a simple knock on.
As an England fan, I thought the ref was fine. Tight calls to both sides, only one I was annoyed about was De Groot not getting pinged at scrum time for the angle he was driving at. But thought he had a very good game and didn't get involved where things could be left. That being said, how long a advantage was he giving 😂
Personally I think it's getting really boring complaining about refs😅doesn't help much does it. When the springboks won three games in a row with a point, everyone was told to get over it and not be salty and blaming refs, we'll I agree with those people, and I am a nz fan, refs dont win games for you, you got 80 mins to win a game
Damn, that was so close. Glad the AB's changed their game-plan in the 2nd half, they really had to after all that nonsense at the end of the first half - just kick it out! The AB's kicks from hand were 12 in 1st half but 22 times in the 2nd half, that was what saved them.
England have themselves to blame. Left points on the field. I don’t think NZ will be that bad next week. England seemed a bit clueless in the second half, never really looked like scoring. Just my take.
Hard luck england. Just a Marcus Smith kick away from an amazing victory. Loving this English team ever since they nearly made it to the wc final after a disastrous 2023. Quite the turnaround.
It was a huge battle at the breakdown. England deserved to win as their all round play was fantastic. Our ABs physically had to hang on. I hate our terrible booing crowds. Can't wait for next weekend.
I’ve said this before, Of all the NH teams, England stands a better chance of challenging for the WC in 2027. I hope they don’t abandon this project no matter what happens between now and then. They know how to play the conditions and the tournament
@@speak_your_truth.Knee jerk reactions are quite common these days, unfortunately 😕. NZ seem to be one of the last few places left where coaches get a second chance.
@@paulhenry2011 if both kicked all the points england still win lol, never said we shoulda won tho, nz deserved it, just said it was a good game, not need to get mad about it 😂
JK is the definition of a flog. Cannot handle a loss, and struggles to handle a close win. Refuses to compliment the opposition without blaming his own team. What was he prepared prediction: +20
@@elscruffomcscruffy8371 So why watch him? I watched one episode of Keo & Zels and that was enough to let me know they were a couple of knobs & never watched again..problem solved.
Credit to NZ their scrum and breakdown won them the game. Scrummaging legailty was questionable at time. Marcus Smith will be singled out for leaving 8 points on the pitch from some fairly straightforward positions. Wasn't in the script for Finn Baxter to come on so early but he put in a great performance. England will benefit in the long term form these games as they collectively gain more experience. NZ will be better next week. That feels like one that got away but a great game.
Great game of rugby and privileged to watch as an Englishman, sat in a sea of Black. A lot of comments I heard around me were: Shit, those English forwards are tough (Earl and South particularly) and plenty of praise for George Furbank at 15 too. They loved his running from deep. Baxter for his first cap... what a way to start. I actually think he helped shore up the scrum more so as the game went on. He'll have grown ten years after that experience, which still only makes him 22 :) Could have gone either way, but what matters more is how England showed up. If you watch the second half, the blitz defence put that much pressure on Dmac, that he was constantly going backwards and his only option was to kick. I wouldn't be surprised if England did one over the ABs in Auckland. History is against them, but heck, history is exactly that.
As a kiwi my hat is off to England they are going to be a force to be reckoned with but I think we possibly have the two best wingers and front row in world rugby? A bold call maybe but watch this space I guess
As an England fan i absolutely love watching Mark Tele'a in full flight. He can bring 3 men with him and still break the last man. He was excellent when he had the ball today.
Tele'a is 100% incredible work rate and movement around the park is world-class. Not too sure about Sevu Reece though, I think Lowe, Kolbe, Hanson, Bielle-Bairrey, and Penaud are probably in contention in front of Reese.
Wow im finally seeing borthwicks vision, we played fantastic and flowing attacking rugby whilst remaining physical and solid in defence. really pleased and roll on the next game 🔥
@@murraysmith595 I agree otherwise the home advantage is non existent when the fans keep quiet if I was a player I would love the challenge of playing in a hostile environment
All Blacks looks vulnerable really! England let this game slip, it was there for the taking honestly. Hats off to England looks like Steve Borthwick is finally starting flex
Not true. The referee is there to do a job and if that job requires him handing out cards then the players have been doing some idiotic shit to deserve them. As a neutral, there was not a single incident that I saw that looked even slightly dodgy; no professional fouls, no head contact or head high tackles, just good hard rugby. The credit for that belongs to the players playing within the laws, not the referee who, despite being good, you seem to be crediting for not inventing some cardable offence?
@@SamWhite-no6dd While I appreciate the support, I am not so sure this is specifically a Kiwi problem. Hardly seems fair to single out a country when all countries complain about cards / the referee. Go one step further and see the partisan manner in which people in the same country fight over an issue at domestic level.
Great match. With my kiwi lenses on there were a couple of decisions I didn't agree with also, so swings both ways. Probably a good sign for the ref if both sides feel slightly hard done by. Suggests he was bang on. Overall, the AB scrum made the difference. Wouldn't put Baxter in the frame for too much of that. Thought England struggled before he came on.
Cant fault this analysis. Wonderfully balanced. You can see England need more quality and depth, but the players are coming through. At least our prop injury crisis is at Looshead and night tighthead. Still upset though, this was an opportunity.
He copied Ramos, but added a creepy smile. It was weird how he looked for a second time and forgot to smile. Then he looked a third time to smile and got timed out.
