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Who landed the first big blow?
England’s right wing Rokoduguni takes New Zealand’s kick out of defence and, though tackled by Savea, makes his pass. It was the start of the movement that led to Jonny May’s electrifying run for the first try 50 metres downfield in the opposite corner.
But neither wing contributed much before the interval. Savea’s first pass from a colleague came with 37 minutes gone, Rokoduguni did not receive one throughout his entire game but another catch led, in time, to a Farrell penalty kick.
Who was the happier in defence?
We know Rokoduguni can catch and the All Blacks gave him plenty of practice. But it is not what he was selected to do. Neither wing had the chance to display much more than the ability to patrol the touchlines, but Savea, pictured above right, impressively charged over Brad Barritt.
Show all 32 1 /32England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Mike Brown - 7 Mike Brown – At his reliable best, but lacked a cutting edge with the ball in hand that we’ve come to expect. Solid would be an appropriate word
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England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Semesa Rokodugani - 5 Non-existent with the ball given England didn’t know how to get him into the game. Useful in defence, but replaced after 62 minutes on his debut
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England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Brad Barritt He’s definitely not a 13, and it showed as he lacked the imagination and creativity they desperately needed
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Kyle Eastmond – 6 Gave away three needless penalties in the first half but coped well thereafter. A tough ask to mark Williams, but manned up to the task
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Jonny May – 8 Scored an unforgettable 50m try to light up Twickenham. His best performance yet of a very young and promising career
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Owen Farrell – 6 His decision making was strong and kicking for goal as reliable as ever. Tactical kicking still needs perfecting though and it puts England under pressure
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Danny Care – 6 Not at his sniping best but came to life when England were on the front-foot. Replaced by Youngs with 20 minutes to go to show he wasn’t firing on all cylinders
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Joe Marler – 6 His scrummaging was good and tried to impose on the All Blacks’ pack when he carried, but Lancaster will still want more from the Harlequins captain
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Dylan Hartley – 6 A constant nuisance, although the penalty for a high tackle on Cruden was slightly harsh. Lucky that he wasn’t caught by Coles’ kick. Lineout ball was of the highest calibre
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings David Wilson – 7 He’s performing admirably in the long-term absence of Dan Cole, and he can be happy with his performance, having scrummed well. Replaced by Brookes late on
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Dave Attwood – 8 One of England’s standout players, he was strong in stealing New Zealand ball at the line-out and ran for good yards. Fatherhood appears to suit him
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Courtney Lawes - 5 Lasted just 20 minutes after suffering a concussion, but his first-minute hit on Sonny Bill Williams set the tone
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Tom Wood – 7 His mud-stained, blood-splattered shirt told the story, and that was only after 30 minutes. Mammoth work-rate at the breakdown, but New Zealand just squeezed him out of the game
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Chris Robshaw – 6 His decision making will come into question once again as he went for scrums at the death with time against England. Looked out of gas by the end, but you can’t question his commitment
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England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Billy Vunipola – 7 Ran hard for 53 minutes but is yet to put in a performance like that against the All Blacks two years ago. Took a heavy hit just before he was replaced
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Replacements Rob Webber – Good impact in late push. 6 Matt Mullan – Picked up where Marler left off in the scrum. 6 Kieran Brookes – Big shove late on helped earn penalty try.6 George Kruis – Missed tackle led to McCaw try, but will learn. 5 Ben Morgan – Tried to carry England forward, to little avail. 6 Ben Youngs – Thrown on behind a pack going backwards. 5 George Ford – Try-saving tackle on Williams was impressive. 7 Anthony Watson – Little chance to impress on debut. 6
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Israel Dagg – 4 Shaky again after his last outing against England, poor pass nearly robbed McCaw of second-half try
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Ben Smith – 7 On another day he could have had two tries. As it was, a constant thorn in England’s side and hugely talented on the ground and in the air
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Conrad Smith – 6 Showed his age for the first time as May burned him on the outside for opening try. Had an unusually quiet game, though is handling was as beautiful as ever
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Sonny Bill Williams – 7 Enjoyed two barrelling runs, and his fist-minute one-handed offload in his own 22 summed up his desire to entertain. Nearly scored had it not been for Ford
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Julian Savea – 6 Nailed Rokoduguni to welcome him to international rugby and charged over Barritt as if he wasn’t there. Got a heavy hit back from his opposite wing, and at last England managed to stop him from scoring
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Aaron Cruden – 6 First-half try should have been chalked off as he grounded the ball short of the line, and his kicking was wayward in tricky conditions. Brought off after 60 minutes
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Aaron Smith – 7 Wood and Vunipola kept him honest, but linked up well when All Blacks were on the attack
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Wyatt Crockett – 7 Enjoyed his battle with Wilson with both enjoying success. Brought off for Ben Franks when the job was done
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Dane Coles – 6 Correctly sin-binned for lashing out at Hartley only to kick Care in error. Has shown previous to let his aggression get the better of him, and must cut it out – even if he is being pulled to ground by the opposition
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Owen Franks – 8 Has become a crucial player for the All Blacks and gives them a solid platform to attack from in the forwards. Second-half break set-up McCaw’s try
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England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Sam Whitelock – 6 Nearly managed to poach himself a try, and looked bemused when it wasn’t awarded. Has bags of talent in so many areas, although he’ll be disappointed with the line-out disruption
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England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Brodie Retallick – 7 Brought off at half-time with a shoulder injury, and will be a big miss if he misses the rest of the tour
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England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Jerome Kaino – 7 Barrelling run in the first half produced Cruden’s try and his physicality in defence borders on the scary. Sacrificed for Mealamu when Coles was sin-binned
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Richie McCaw – 9 Mr All Black was at his best as he constantly turned over English ball. Deserved his try which he did well to catch, and looked like a man who knew he’d always win come the final whistle
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Kieran Read – 7 England did their best to keep him quiet but he continuously popped up lurking around the dangerous Savea
England 21 New Zealand 24 player ratings Replacements: Kevin Mealamu – Brought his experience to help All Blacks cope with 14-men. 6 Ben Franks – Didn’t cope with the fresh England front-row come the end of the match. 5 Charlie Faumuina – Spotted the smallest of gaps that a prop could fit through to score. 7 Patrick Tuipulotu – Introduced at half-time and put in some hefty tackles. 7 Liam Messam – Wasn’t given long due to the sin-bin. 6 T J Perenara – Didn’t show anything to suggest he’ll usurp Smith anytime soon. 5 Beauden Barrett – Kicking was poor but the weather played a big part. 5 Ryan Crotty – All Blacks didn’t enjoy any possession when he came on. 5
How well did they fit the team plan?
Games need greater fluidity than this if such ball-playing wings are to make a difference. Savea became more involved after the interval, acting as auxiliary full-back, and Rokoduguni (left) did well to get back to save when Kyle Eastmond was charged down and Savea kicked ahead. On the other side, Savea knocked on five metres out on his “wrong” wing.
Saturday's match was the first time England have stopped Savea from scoring against them Does Rokoduguni deserve another chance?
No doubt at all about this. England have spent too much time fiddling with their wings to be sure on the optimum pairing and Rokoduguni’s club form suggests that he must remain throughout the autumn campaign (injury apart). He needs to be given the ball to display his strengths as a runner, which he could not do before being replaced in the 62nd minute.
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