2. England 19-7 New Zealand: 2019 Rugby World Cup Semi-Final
October 26th 2019, Nissan Stadium, Yokohama, Japan
One of the most memorable wins of the Eddie Jones reign, England achieved an incredible victory over the All Blacks to put them through to the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final. The match was one of the most complete England performances in recent memory, as the side battled valiantly for the full 80 minutes, to record a solid triumph against the back-to-back world champions.
The image of Owen Farrell smirking as TJ Perenara commands the haka, has embedded itself into the folklore of this storied rivalry, as England formed a ‘V’ formation and Joe Marler was eventually fined for overstepping the halfway line. The fierce tempo of the match was kick-started from the get-go, as England centre Manu Tuilagi ignited the fixture with his second minute try.
The Nissan Stadium came unglued as the travelling England fans could not believe their eyes, with their side immensely fired up as evidenced in their immortalised response to the haka. The momentum was maintained throughout the semi-final, with the astute place kicking of George Ford keeping the score-board ticking over with four well taken penalties.
The All Blacks responded with a second half try from Ardie Savea, and Richie Mo’unga nailed the conversion to round up the seven points. However, despite the best efforts of the back-to-back Rugby World Cup champions, England had all the answers defensivly, yet it could be argued that the had reached their emotional peak to book a place in the final.
Eddie Jones’ men would go on to lose the Rugby World Cup Final following a contrastingly sub-par performance against the Springboks, as South Africa claimed their first of two consecutive Web Ellis trophies.
3. England 14-15 New Zealand: 2018 Autumn Internationals
November 10 2018, Twickenham Stadium, London
The third most recent encounter between the two old enemies, once again took place at the home of English rugby. This tense fixture began in breathtaking fashion, as Chris Ashton was over to score after just two minutes on the clock, a sign of things to come for New Zealand, as Tuilagi repeated the hot-start the following year in Japan.
After a turbulent time in and out of the England squad, Ashton was back to his old tricks in this performance in the red rose. The wing was hot off the marks with his try, and reminded the Twickenham faithful as to why he was so highly regarded at his flying best. England followed up this try with bountiful field position, and Owen Farrell nailed an inch perfect drop goal for an additional three points.
The lead continued to build for England, as captain Dylan Hartley battered his way over the try-line, to further extend the lead. Farrell was able to nail the conversion, after his opening effort off the tee struck the post. New Zealand retaliated with a foretelling try just before the break, as up-starting back Damian McKenzie dotted the ball down to narrow the deficit, on the 38 minute mark.
Despite recently conceding, the home fans in the South West London stadium had reached a crescendo, with ‘swing low, sweet chariot’ ringing round the English amphitheatre come the half time break. However, as the old adage proclaims ‘all good things must come to an end’, the England fans watched on in disbelief, as their side threw away their first half earnings to succumb to a classic All Blacks comeback, throughout the second 40 minutes.
What followed was a Beauden Barrett kicking masterclass, as the 2015 Rugby World Cup winner kicked eleven points in the second half. This tally was enough to take the All Blacks into the lead, as the former Hurricanes and Blues man nailed two penalties and a drop goal of his own, along with adding the extras for McKenzie’s earlier try.