England v New Zealand: Matt Dawson says 'Marcus Smith kick dead stopped me in my tracks'

2 years ago 38

Matt Dawson BBC columnist graphic

England's superb last 10 minutes against New Zealand, when they surged backmost from 25-6 down to salvage a draw, showed some what Eddie Jones' broadside could be, and however acold they inactive person to go.

First, the affirmative points.

Marcus Smith sparked that glorious precocious chaos with a beauteous interruption that finished lone erstwhile helium was tackled conscionable abbreviated of the line. Beauden Barrett infringed, referee Mathieu Raynal showed him yellow, Will Stuart scored England's archetypal effort and abruptly the crippled was changed.

I anticipation Marcus gets the accidental to bespeak implicit the adjacent mates of days connected however helium wants to play Test rugby.

In that last 10 minutes, helium had that 'he who dares wins' attitude, bringing the creativity combined with accuracy that England were crying retired for.

There is simply a batch of acquisition astir him successful that England backline, but I anticipation helium volition realise that, with 16 caps nether his belt, helium is bully capable and experienced capable to dictate the team's tempo.

Now, the down broadside of that finale.

When I watched Smith footwear that shot retired of play connected the last play of the match, it stopped maine successful my tracks.

It made maine truly question England's mentality. Are they blessed with a draw? They had a prime to instrumentality them connected and usage the momentum to snatch a celebrated victory. They seemed to person won the referee round, they had New Zealand rattled, the slightest they could person done was enactment done immoderate phases and spot if they could marque immoderate advancement downfield.

New Zealand were a antheral down and flagging. They wouldn't person been committing radical to the breakdown to crook implicit shot oregon unit a perchance match-winning penalty.

It blew my caput that England wouldn't adjacent person a go. I don't cognize wherever the determination came from, but idiosyncratic determination had intelligibly made the telephone to assertion the kick-off and footwear consecutive out.

I privation the squad to person a antithetic mindset. I wanted them to consciousness they had the precocious manus and ruthlessly exploit the presumption they were successful alternatively than currency successful connected the scoreline they had.

A gully against New Zealand, considering wherever England were, was an admirable result, but it could person been adjacent better.

New Zealand were truthful incredibly precise successful the archetypal half. They unravelled England completely. They were attacking them successful cardinal areas and targeting cardinal players.

Ellis Genge came nether immense unit against Tyrel Lomax successful the scrum, going backmost astatine a complaint of knots. Jack van Poortvliet, making lone his 3rd Test start, was intelligibly different they had successful their sights.

The All Blacks made usage of their tallness vantage retired wide with crossfield kicks to the wings. Their ain shot was being recycled truly fast, denying England the clip to organise successful defence, ne'er caput contention disconnected the line. They were getting successful implicit the apical of the tackled antheral and spoiling oregon stealing England's possession.

They wholly nailed it successful the archetypal half, portion England looked truly one-dimensional, hoping their one-out runners could bully New Zealand backwards. That doesn't chopped it astatine the apical level immoderate more. Argentina showed earlier successful the autumn that they could soak up heavy-duty ball-carriers and support their signifier still.

The opening people aft 2 minutes came from New Zealand's readying and analysis. Dalton Papali'i's interception of Van Poortvliet's walk was thing they had planned for, with the flanker flying retired of the enactment to poach. That was nary accident. That was super-smart homework.

It has a pugnacious day for Van Poortvliet. I felt for him. He has lone made a fistful of starts successful the Premiership. You tin truly consciousness that measurement up to playing 1 of the apical teams successful the world. You tin play good against Argentina oregon Japan, but everything happens that half-second quicker against a squad similar New Zealand. The margins for mistake are shaved down to the lowest level.

I thought helium did good aft a pugnacious opening 20 minutes. That setback, getting scragged by Ardie Savea astatine the backmost of the breakdown, volition person preyed connected his mind. But the 21-year-old managed to rediscover immoderate travel to his crippled earlier Ben Youngs came connected successful the 2nd half.

That acquisition volition lone marque him a amended player. He volition travel retired of it tougher and stronger.

England were clinging connected to debar a drubbing successful that archetypal half, but the extent of your bench, the spot of your replacements, is truthful important successful modern Test rugby. England won that country by a state mile.

The alteration of the beforehand enactment - bringing connected Mako Vunipola, Jamie George and Stuart astir 55 minutes - strengthened the scrum. David Ribbans and Jack Willis were afloat of vigor successful the backmost 5 of the pack. Ben Youngs brought a chill caput to nine, and Henry Slade enactment successful different bully cameo successful the centres alongside chap replacement Guy Porter.

It volition marque the enactment for Saturday's gathering with South Africa precise absorbing indeed, due to the fact that that was the benignant of contention which is closest to a World Cup semi oregon final. It was the benignant of crippled that volition person moved immoderate of the squad's idiosyncratic stocks considerably successful Jones' eyes earlier France 2023.

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