4. England 21-24 New Zealand: 2014 Autumn Internationals
November 8th 2014, Twickenham Stadium, London
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter a truly disappointing tour in New Zealand the previous Summer (more on that shortly), expectations were low for England to produce a result when the All Blacks came to town the following Autumn. England were struggling to gain traction in successive Test matches, and Stuart Lancaster’s men did not look in a favourable position ahead of hosting the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
However, much to the surprise of even the most optimistic England fan, the men wearing the red roses were only narrowly beaten by the All Blacks in their November clash of 2014. The All Blacks arrived in South West London in fine form, hot after crushing the United States in their first Test match of the Autumn. Yet once again, England started the match quickest out of the blocks, with resident speedster Jonny May scorching the touch-lines for a third minute try.
George Ford nailed the following conversion, before every white and black shirt in the stands breathed a collective exhale. There was a brief lull in the scoring, as the England fans rubbed their eyes at the early dominance of the touring Kiwis. However, a 13th minute try from Aaron Cruden put that to bed, with England fans anxious that the floodgates could be opened akin to their recent tour of the Southern Hemisphere.
Yet England held their own, with the metronomic place kicking of Owen Farrell keeping the points tally within touching distance of their mystical opponents. The aura around the All Blacks was at an all-time high in 2014, as the reigning world champions built momentum ahead of their Rugby World Cup title retention the following year.
The stars from arguably the greatest rugby team ever were on full display in Twickenham that day, as legendary New Zealand skipper Richie McCaw crossed over for a rare try in the second half. Iconic prop Charlie Faumuina added a try of his own ahead of the match’s closing sequences, with the two iconic All Blacks set to retire from the Test match stage after their 2015 Rugby World Cup Final swan-song. England narrowed down the deficit with a penalty try in the 79th minute, yet the damage had already been done by the visitors to record the win.
5. New Zealand 36-13 England: 2014 Summer Tour Third Test
June 21st 2014, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, New Zealand
Embed from Getty ImagesNow, whilst we never want England fans to look away from our articles, we urge that you take caution whilst reading the final entry on this list. The fixture that wrapped up England’s 2014 tour of New Zealand, was also the one that racked up the highest margin of victory for the all conquering All Blacks.
This Saturday England have their first crack at New Zealand on their home soil since this fixture, and Steve Borthwick’s men will want to draw a line in the volcanic sand of the South Island, to move on from this defeat. Heading into the final test of the tour a decade ago, England were narrowly beaten 28-27, with the second Test bringing out a solid outing from Lancaster’s men.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, the third Test did not have such fine margins of decisiveness, with 23 points separating the two sides at the final whistle. Julian Savea wasted no time in getting himself on the scoreboard, as the All Blacks wing crossed over for two tries in the first 10 minutes in Hamilton. Highlanders halfback Aaron Smith then took centre stage, as the scrum-half crossed over for a brace of his own to close out the first half.
Aaron Cruden’s conversions established a solid lead at the break, with the All Blacks fans jubilant in celebration as the sides departed with a 29-3 score-line. After a half-time talking two from head coach Stuart Lancaster, England responded with a try two minutes after the re-start. Former England wing Marland Yarde popped up for a try against the All Blacks, and Freddie Burns’ subsequent conversion was the final act of points scoring from the England camp that Summer.
The remainder of the match was quite the stalemate, before the points scoring resumed with Savea completing his hat-trick upon the 80 minute mark. Beauden Barrett sent the following conversion through the uprights, with New Zealand recording a clean sweep of victories over their touring opponents.