England Downs the All Blacks: Historic Victory at Twickenham

England Rises Again: Historic Victory over the All Blacks at Twickenham

In a gray afternoon in Twickenham, England illuminated the field with a performance for the history books. They demonstrated character, precision, physicality and, above all, immense self-confidence by defeating the All Blacks 33-19. Until Tom Roebuck scored in the 76th minute, securing a 14-point lead for England, the tension was palpable. The emotional energy was depleted in both teams, in a match where England proved to be a growing force. All this happened after losing 12-0 in the first 18 minutes.

England didn’t lose focus and fought back with tries from Ollie Lawrence, Sam Underhill, Fraser Dingwall and Tom Roebuck, delighting the Twickenham fans. At the end of the match, the English celebrations were a mix of happiness and exhaustion. This victory made England the ninth team in history to defeat the All Blacks. The final result left no room for doubt. England has accumulated 10 consecutive victories, stopping the All Blacks in their tracks. This was a captivating match, played at the limit of pressure and psychological capacity. There were unusual errors, but they were symptomatic of an encounter that served as a true indicator of England’s level. This All Blacks team can be dismissed as a shadow of its predecessors. However, doing so would be a disservice to the quality of New Zealand’s players and the way England handled the match. After 18 minutes, England were losing 12-0. It was a familiar situation. We had seen this before: an English team that promised much, but crumbled in the most demanding tests. But not today. They stuck to their strategy, scored points, survived the mental impact of two quick tries and responded. They achieved it thanks to Ford’s brilliance, Underhill’s incredible work, the ball-winning and organizational skills of their centers, Maro Itoje’s leadership, the strength of the bench, and their versatile offensive game, with the ability to attack and pressure teams in various ways.

This match demonstrates that England is building under the direction of Steve Borthwick. Ford was magnificent as an opener. Three years ago, he missed two important kicks against the All Blacks. If the penalty he kicked into the post had gone in, or if the drop-goal had gone a meter to the left, England would have achieved their ninth victory against the Kiwis. Today, Ford scored a penalty in the 75th minute to extend England’s lead to nine points, before Roebuck scored a minute later, sealing the 33-19 result. Ford reduced the All Blacks’ lead from 12-5 to 12-11 with two drop-goals just before halftime. From there, England built their game until the All Blacks’ defense collapsed. When Roebuck scored, the stadium vibrated. This was an England that, at times, had flaws in fundamental aspects. They lost three lineouts in the first half. Unheard of. But even so, they did not let themselves be intimidated, even when they were losing 12-0, they did not give up. The All Blacks’ mistakes were present: two missed penalties, knock-ons and general errors.

England survived the All Blacks’ comeback attempt when Will Jordan scored to put the score 6 points in the 65th minute, while England played with 14 men due to Ben Earl’s yellow card. But they resisted, and it was England who delivered the final blows of the match. The scrum dominated, England was first to every loose ball, and they had the match in the palm of their hand. New Zealand was baffled. They were going for a Grand Slam on their northern hemisphere tour, but they fell short. Apart from their two quick tries, they were outplayed by a team that played with greater intensity, with a more physical and clinical game. This is a great triumph for England, ending a 13-year wait for a victory over the All Blacks at Twickenham. Ford will grab the headlines, and rightly so, but this was a team victory, and a test of progress.