England's NZ defeat not all down to Ford - Smith

2 weeks ago 9

England's two-point decision by New Zealand connected Saturday was not wholly George Ford's responsibility aft his important missed kicks, says chap fly-half Marcus Smith.

Smith, 25, scored 17 points and acceptable up England's lone effort earlier being replaced successful the last 4th by 97-cap Ford, who missed a imaginable match-winning punishment and last-gasp drop-goal.

At the clip of Smith's departure, England had an eight-point advantage.

But a effort by helping Mark Tele'a, who shrugged disconnected Ford's attempted tackle, and 5 points from replacement Damian McKenzie enactment the All Blacks up with 3 minutes near astatine Allianz Stadium.

Ford was handed opportunities to plaything the lucifer backmost England's mode but could not find the objective kicks required arsenic New Zealand clung connected for a 24-22 victory.

"Sometimes that's the beingness of a kicker, we've each experienced that. It's portion and parcel of the job," said Smith, who struggled disconnected the tee successful the first Test decision by New Zealand successful July.

"I've learned truthful overmuch disconnected George. He's an unbelievable kicker, some disconnected the tee and retired of hand. It was 1 of those days.

"It's thing to bash with him wherefore we didn't triumph the game. It's a squad effort. Every kicker successful the satellite has experienced that."

Following McKenzie's superb touchline conversion from Tele'a's try, Anton Lienert-Brown mistimed a tackle to springiness Steve Borthwick's location broadside a accidental to reclaim the lead.

Ford's punishment struck the station and was dropped by New Zealand, giving England an unexpected 2nd accidental to snatch the game, but Ford was incapable to person the drop-goal with the timepiece successful the red.

In March, Smith landed a final-play drop-goal from a somewhat person spot to defeat Grand Slam-chasing Ireland.

"As kickers we ever practise the drop-goal, but it's precise antithetic erstwhile you're retired determination successful beforehand of 80,000 radical and the All Blacks shouting 'Drop-goal! Drop-goal!'," Smith added.

"It's an highly pugnacious kick. Fordy is simply a maestro of that drop-goal kick. We spell done that script week-in, week-out.

"We practise it arsenic kickers each azygous day, but sometimes it doesn't spell for you. We're each quality and radical miss."

Saturday marked the archetypal clip since 2022 that Smith has started 4 consecutive Tests astatine fly-half, pursuing injuries to Ford and erstwhile skipper Owen Farrell's determination to regularisation himself retired of planetary enactment by moving to French nine Racing 92.

While 3 constrictive defeats by New Zealand person travel successful those matches, the 25-year-old Harlequin believes determination is inactive plentifulness of clip to travel New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter successful guiding his squad to World Cup glory.

"It's not a coincidence that radical triumph towards the end. Dan Carter played his archetypal World Cup last [in 2015] astatine 33, sometimes it's life," added Smith.

"International rugby is precise antithetic to the Premiership and the experiences we're experiencing present are precise painful, but we'll beryllium amended for them.

"Keep the faith. We've fallen again connected the incorrect broadside of the result, but we'll larn from it 100%.

"These experiences volition tighten america arsenic a radical and it volition beryllium worthy it successful the agelong run. We volition beryllium amended for it."

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