Narrow Loss for England as All Blacks Edge Thriller in Dunedin
In a gripping series opener at Forsyth Barr Stadium, England fell agonizingly short of achieving a famous victory over the New Zealand All Blacks, losing 16-15 in a narrow contest.
Steve Borthwick’s tourists were resilient in defense during the first half, keeping the All Blacks at bay as the hosts threatened to pull away. Despite a poor kicking display from fly-half Marcus Smith, England managed to go into the break level at 10-10.
The visitors took the lead early in the second half through Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s try, which was orchestrated by Smith’s incisive running. However, the All Blacks clawed their way back with two Damian McKenzie penalties to snatch victory.
“While England were outstanding in patches and showed tremendous fight to stay in contention, they ultimately fell short of causing an upset against the rebuilding All Blacks side.”
The tourists’ dominant scrum was undermined by the absence of prop Joe Marler, and they were unable to capitalize on their own possession at times. The narrow defeat means England have still only triumphed on New Zealand soil on two previous occasions, in 1973 and 2003.
The prospect of joining those heroic teams was tantalizing, but the All Blacks’ superiority at the breakdown proved the difference in the end. The brutal first Test leaves England with work to do as they head to Auckland for the second match of the series.
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