England scored three tries in a stunning final eight minutes to salvage an extraordinary draw after being outplayed by New Zealand for much of their Autumn Nations Series match at Twickenham.
The All Blacks scored two tries in the opening nine minutes, with Codie Taylor driving over at the back of a maul after Dalton Papali’i’s early intercept score.
England clung on to the break, and Manu Tuilagi was stopped just short with his side 17-6 down early in the second half.
When Rieko Ioane sprinted clear after a cunning cross kick from Richie Mo’unga to score a third try, it seemed the tourists were out of sight.
But England – inaccurate and undisciplined to that point – roared back into life in the final 10 minutes as replacement Will Stuart scrambled over, Freddie Steward scorched in out wide and Stuart burrowed over again in the final minute.
Such was the belief that flowed through Twickenham as England rampaged forward against the fading All Blacks, Marcus Smith’s decision to boot the ball dead on the final play – rather than chase a victory that had seemed inconceivable just a quarter of an hour earlier – was greeted with some boos.
It was a surreal end to a strange match that marked both England captain Owen Farrell’s 100th appearance and the first meeting of the sides since the hosts’ superb semi-final victory at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
And it is unlikely to dispel the questions surrounding either side after patchy seasons, a year out from France 2023.
