9 Alex Mitchell – 7.5
Alex Mitchell tried his hand at sniping around the back of the breakdown, with the tactic initially successful before becoming a bit of a predictable manehouvre. His box kicking was on the money for the best part of the match, and he skipped passed a few All Blacks tacklers in the process. Quick ball once again the order of the day as Mitchell took charge.
8 Ben Earl – 6
It is rare to see Ben Earl rack up a middle of the road mark upon player ratings, but the number eight did not perform to the best of his abilities at Eden Park. As mentioned earlier, the combination with Ollie Lawrence struggled to gel at the pack of the scrum, and Earl gave away a few penalties at the breakdown.
7 Sam Underhill – 6.5
Another effort that flew below the back-row’s high standards, despite Underhill’s best efforts on being a wrecking ball in defence. The flanker repeatedly chopped down the heavy All Black forwards, yet had a one-dimensional approach to his attack that left him isolated at times.
6 Chandler Cunningham-South – 6.5
The New Zealand raised back row was chomping at the bit for a Test match cap at Eden Park, and his performance saw him put his body on the line from the get go. Cunningham-South flew onto heavy carries and was soon feeling the effects of the multi-man tackles courtesy of the All Blacks defenders.
5 George Martin – 7
The Leicester Tigers lock has continued on with his upwards trajectory through the second row ranks, with Ollie Chessum given plenty of work to do if he wants to get his spot back in the starting XV for the Autumn. With a fearless approach that puts his body on the line in every involvement, Martin’s physicality knew no bounds at Eden Park.
4 Maro Itoje – 7.5
The tank is well and truly empty for England’s lock, as Itoje spent the last 15 minutes catching his breath after another impressive outing, Name-checked by Jamie George as ‘world class’ after the game, Itoje shone with the second row earning a well-deserved break. A few penalty offences hindered his rating, yet you can not fault his undying effort.
3 Will Stuart – 6.5
The tight-head prop was unable to dominate the head-to-head with Ethan de Groot, as much as he did in the Dunedin Test. Stuart was solid around the park, yet had a tough day on the offensive foot when Fletcher Newell got introduced. With Dan Cole making his 115th Test cap at 37-years-old, Stuart fell out of the spotlight for England’s tight-heads.
2 Jamie George (captain) – 8
The England captain was the workhorse of the England front row, as he ran out for 80 minutes against the All Blacks. The England captain emptied the tank after a solid 50 minute effort up front, yet an unfortunate head injury to Theo Dan just seconds after coming on, saw George ‘U-turn’ from the replacements bench and finish off the match.
1 Fin Baxter – 7
On for his first Test match start, Fin Baxter was one of the top peformers of England’s forward pack. The 22-year-old did not let the bright lights of Eden Park cloud his confidence, as he went toe-to-toe with Tyrel Lomax for a solid effort up-front. Carried well around the loose with an effort that made Dan Cole proud.