The Challenge of Facing the All Blacks: Reflections from the Field
When Danny Care reminisces about his experiences facing the All Blacks, he evokes a feeling of bewilderment after the defeats. Although he was part of England’s memorable victory over the Kiwis in 2012, it is the confusion after the defeats that lingers in his memory. “You stay there, reviewing the match,” Care comments. “At 75 minutes, you think ‘we’re going to win’. And then, in a matter of minutes, you lose by two tries, and everyone scratches their heads in the locker room, wondering why that happened”.
Beating the All Blacks is a high point for any generation. Of their 46 encounters in 120 years, England has only won eight. Their last victory was in the semi-final of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, a triumph considered their best performance since they defeated the All Blacks in Wellington in 2003. That victory foreshadowed their triumph in the 2003 World Cup, and at one point they played with 13 men. England’s last victory at Twickenham was in 2012, a highly valued achievement.
“It was one of the biggest wins for our generation,” says Care. “But, 13 years later, it’s incredible to say that beating the All Blacks once at home was the biggest achievement of that generation.”
Danny Care
Steve Borthwick’s team has the opportunity this Saturday to secure England’s first home victory against the All Blacks since 2012. Although they are aware of this, they try to approach it as just another match. Jamie George, after the victory over Fiji last Saturday, commented: “Many teams are impressed by the history of the All Blacks and their incredible players. It’s easy to fall into that. I’ve probably done it myself.”Chris Ashton, who defeated the All Blacks in 2012, shares a similar perspective: “Playing against the All Blacks is a curious thing. You behave in a certain way against them, I don’t know why. Until you’ve experienced it, you can’t understand why you’ve given them so much advantage when you know you should have played better.” Care adds: “I think I’ve played against them nine times, and in two or three matches, you’re one point away, and you end up losing. I think they have so much history and tradition, and there’s something special about that team and that jersey. Every time you play against them, I think, whether subconsciously or consciously, you’re always aware that they can surprise you at any moment.”
Eddie Jones, Japan’s coach, oversaw England’s victory in the 2019 World Cup; before the match, he used a samurai sword to cut a kiwi. “They still have an aura,” says Jones. “You hear the players talk about it. They talk about how the All Blacks do things, and how they are this and that. They are an exceptional rugby country and players, but like anyone, if you put enough pressure in the right areas, you can achieve it. They want to be great, but if you can make them small, you can beat them.”
The first victory of England over the All Blacks was in 1936, known as the Prince Obolensky match. Since then, England won in Auckland in 1973, at Twickenham in 1983 and 1993, and then came the consecutive victories in 2002 (31-28 at Twickenham) and 2003 in Wellington, which established England as a favorite for the World Cup.
In 2012, England had their best performance under Stuart Lancaster, beating the All Blacks 38-21. “There was a bit of a rumor that the All Blacks had been ill during the week, but Manu [Tuilagi] was unstoppable that day, you just had to give the ball to Manu and let him do his thing,” says Care.Ashton adds: “I was still thinking about that game, ‘there’s still time, they’ll come back, they’ll come back, they’ll come back’. I only believed until it was mathematically impossible with the time on the clock. You always feel that, no matter the score, they always have the players they have, they’ll always come up with something”. Since that victory in November 2012, the 2019 triumph is overshadowed by the supremacy of the All Blacks. As Care said, the players are baffled after being surpassed by the Kiwis. “You wonder how that happened”, says Care. “Like, when are we going to take the next step and get this, this elusive victory over them?”
By analyzing what was said after each defeat since 2014, similar themes can be observed. Of the three test matches in New Zealand in 2014, Lancaster lamented the lack of precision in the last 20 minutes in Auckland, then captain Chris Robshaw said they needed to be more ruthless in Dunedin, and a week later Lancaster was annoyed with how England didn’t exert enough “pressure on the scoreboard” in Hamilton.
In 2018, England was one point away at home, and thought they had won at the end, only for Sam Underhill’s try to be disallowed for an offside by Courtney Lawes. A year later, England achieved that resounding victory against the Kiwis in Yokohama. “We went into the match having gone through the preparation trying to get rid of this myth or aura of the All Blacks, of how they are invincible,” said Joe Marler after the victory. “I automatically thought they had the best players in the world from one to fifteen because that’s how you think.”
England’s mood was set by Jones brandishing that samurai sword, then came the (unproven) accusations of spying and, by the time the All Blacks lined up for the haka, England formed a v-shape to respond. “We tried to pick a team that was aggressive, you need aggressive players. Once you match their physicality and fitness, you’re getting there. For the haka, we had a conversation about forming a circle around them, but we settled on the v-shape. We wanted to silence the crowd and make New Zealand think this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, and transform that emotion into ‘we’re here to face you'”.
Owen Farrell faced the haka with a slight smile, while Marler crossed the halfway line and incurred a penalty for England. “It’s a good plan when you win, but if you don’t, you’re arrogant,” says Jones. “So, in retrospect, it was a good thing!”
After the match, the All Blacks coach, Steve Hansen, was asked by a journalist if he was worried about his team’s perceived lack of commitment. It was a question that suggested the All Blacks’ defeat was due to them not being mentally prepared for the match, rather than England playing at an incredible level.Hansen responded by offering the journalist a private conversation. The two met again in November 2022, with England coming back from 25-6 to tie 25-25, but that turned out to be Jones’s last autumn season in charge of England. Steve Borthwick succeeded him and, before his tour of New Zealand in 2024, recalled what it was like to face the All Blacks, drawing on memories of his own playing career. “I’ve been on teams that have gotten on the plane without true faith,” Borthwick told reporters. “There have been some series where that has happened.”
England pressured them in two matches, but left with the same regrets. Captain Jamie George said that “fine margins” caused them to lose 16-15 in Dunedin, and looked for the positives in their 24-17 defeat a week later. The All Blacks visited Twickenham in 2024 and two late missed kicks from George Ford allowed the Kiwis to emerge victorious with a 24-22 victory. “That legacy plays a part, I think,” says Care. “That match where Fordy hit the post with the penalty and then missed the drop goal, if that was against any other team, would it have gone inside the post? There’s just something against the All Blacks that if you don’t finish them off, you won’t win the match.”
Therefore, judging by what those who have fallen short in the past have said, to beat the All Blacks you need to: look beyond their history and aura, strike first, and seize every single opportunity. Phew. It’s not an easy task.“I remember thinking it’s quite easy to get lost in how good the All Blacks are,” says Ashton. “But I do believe that slight aura of inevitably being defeated has gone… But, on the other hand, we’re here talking about the few victories England has had!”
New Zealand’s win record under Scott Robertson is 76%, and there is a perception that the All Blacks are fallible. But ask Scotland, who had the opportunity for immortality last weekend, only to be powerless to stop the Kiwi machine once it got into action. The All Blacks are going for their own Grand Slam tour, seeking a sweep of victories on Northern Hemisphere soil for the first time in 15 years. Ashton believes that England has what it takes to beat the All Blacks, but will need experienced heads to guide them. “Some of the team haven’t played against New Zealand. Coaches can give you all the information and attach emotion to it, but without you having really tasted it, it’s quite difficult for you to understand what it’s like,” says Ashton.
“I hope the occasion doesn’t overwhelm them, leaving them at the end of the match saying ‘oh, you know, I should have done better there'”. Borthwick’s team must stick to their game plan to beat the All Blacks on Saturday, but also find a mindset where they can put aside the previous history, see beyond the incredible history of the All Blacks and reduce the contest to the fundamentals of rugby and small margins.
Jones’ advice, recalling the 2019 victory: “Hit them first. Hit them hard. Don’t wait for them. As soon as you start thinking about the aura, you sit and watch them. You need to be the spectacle, not be part of it.”
The Borthwick team is on a nine-match winning streak. They are on an upward trajectory, but becoming the ninth team to beat the All Blacks would allow them to join an elite group and signal true progress. “What a boost it would give them to achieve 10 consecutive victories by beating the All Blacks,” said Care. “Ask any England player ‘if you could be part of a winning team against anyone, who would you choose?'”
“Everyone would choose the All Blacks.”
