Steve Borthwick's men continued their winning streak with a 33-19 win over the All Blacks whilst Scott Robertson will have a lot of questions to answer in New Zealand. Here are 3 headlines from an epic game of rugby.
New Zealand are still a work in chaos
Beating New Zealand is always a big accomplishment, but this version of the All Blacks seems much more prone to surprise defeats than its past iterations. The players look good enough as a group to compete with the best, and this was proven when they very nearly won the World Cup in 2023 with a very similar group. Damian McKenzie and Beauden Barrett are excellent fly-half options and the back row contains multiple World class talents. However, this team is still yet to put together an 80-minute performance. There are now serious questions about Scott Robertson and his coaching staff being asked by much of New Zealand's media. This team will have to figure things out quickly to avoid the pressure mounting too much.
Ollie Lawrence should be one of the first names on the team-sheet
There has been a lot of talk about England's possible centre combinations. A recent addition to that conversation is Tommy Freeman, who has already stated his ambition to start in midfield for England and started there this Autumn. Freeman ended up missing this game through injury and Ollie Lawrence got his spot back after recovering from an ACL injury. He scored a brilliant individual try to get England back into the game after New Zealand took an early lead. This was followed by more continued excellence that once again proves that he should be England's first choice at his position. He has often been moved inside to accommodate others, but now Lawrence should be allowed to flourish in his natural position for his team.
The "Pom Squad" is now a real weapon for this England side
For the 3rd game in a row, the Pom Squad came on and won England the game. Stashing the likes of Genge, Cowan-Dickie and Curry on the bench gives England a real edge in close games against other top teams. This is also only possible because of the depth that is now present within this squad. In the front row, Heyes and Baxter have quickly grown into legitimate test starters to the point that they can play for an hour and not be a weakness of this team. Another player who has made this possible is Guy Pepper. The young flanker had his thunder stolen by the emergence of Henry Pollock, but then moved to Bath and has gone from strength to strength alongside Sam Underhill et al. He is now a phenomenal workhorse in the back row for his country and does a lot of the dirty work that often goes unrewarded. The depth that England possesses will continue to be a serious asset, and it will have to be if they are to take on South Africa in big games.
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