England v New Zealand live: Superb hosts conquer All Blacks to secure famous victory

One might have forgiven Steve Borthwick a moment to boast or brag after only a ninth English win over New Zealand in history, but the former lock is as phlegmatic a character as you will find. Given three separate chances to send a message to those who criticised him last November, when England were in the midst of a long losing run to Tier One nations, the head coach declined three times. “I got criticised?” he asked captain Maro Itoje next to him, with a knowing, subtle smile. “I didn’t see it,” Itoje replied, picking up quickly on his head coach’s bit.

Captain Maro Itoje hailed England’s vastly-improved scrum as a “weapon” after his side’s 33-19 win over New Zealand.

England beat the All Blacks for just the ninth time in their history in the Quilter Nations Series clash, securing a first victory in the fixture at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham since 2012.

While their lineout was put under significant pressure, the hosts’ scrum was on top for much of the contest, earning two crucial penalties in the second half — including pushing the All Blacks back over their own ball on the 60-minute mark.

What a difference a year makes.

12 months ago, George Ford had been left to collect his thoughts after his drop goal had slipped past the post to leave England condemned to another narrow defeat; this time around, he was collecting the garlands, glory and sponsors’ gong that accompany a performance like his in a famous England win over the All Blacks.

Consider the woes of 2024 and the series of near misses that defined a tough English year banished – 10 wins on the spin have established Steve Borthwick’s side as an emergent powerhouse of the international game after this signature success.

George Ford was acclaimed by head coach Steve Borthwick after England’s matchwinner sent New Zealand crashing to a 33-19 defeat at Allianz Stadium.

England registered their first victory over the All Blacks at Twickenham since 2012 with Ford directing operations in a man-of-the-match performance 12 months after he struggled in the same fixture.

The Sale fly-half missed a late penalty and drop-goal that would have sealed New Zealand’s fate in 2024, but on this occasion he finished with a 13-point haul and provided the generalship his team needed.

Maro Itoje has explained the reasoning behind England’s pointed response to the haka before their famous victory at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

England beat the All Blacks for the first time since the iconic 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the first time on home soil since Manu Tuilagi’s masterclass in 2012, with perhaps the defining performance of the Steve Borthwick era to triumph 33-19.

The mind-games began before the opening whistle, as New Zealand performed their traditional haka and England produced a defiant response.

“We’ve had a lot of close games, last year in particular, three games very tight. I’m delighted for the team and the squad. I’ll pay special mention to the non-23 guys who weren’t playing, they’ve been fantastic and gave us the best preparation for this game. We wouldn’t have got this result without their hard work.

“I thought our leaders were fantastic. George Ford was fantastic in terms of leadership. Jamie George, Ben Earl, Tom Curry when he came on, Ellis Genge. They just gave the team the stewardship it needed through those tough times.”

“It’s a team that is developing and growing. I said that last year. This is a team that needs experience together. It is showing on the pitch.

“Each and every game is important for England. I’m particularly happy for the players today, and even more for the supporters. It has been a while since we had a win here over New Zealand. I hope southwest London is a good place for England supporters to be tonight, and the millions of fans all around the country and the world are enjoying it.

“The team has a lot of belief. That’s something we continue to work upon and develop as we go forward. We’ve got one more game against Argentina here at Allianz Stadium next Sunday.”

"England took their opportunities and we didn't. They played some good rugby and put the pressure on.

"They got a couple of drop-goals and got momentum off the back of that.

"We played some really good rugby but we didn't capitalise enough.

"We are pretty disappointed but we will get hungry again to make sure we finish off our tour proud."

“It was amazing. You could barely hear in here! Amazing atmosphere and I am pretty happy. We were expecting a fast start, which is something you expect against New Zealand. The pleasing thing for us is we stuck to our plan despite going 12-0 down. New Zealand are a great team but you do not want to big them up too much. We grew into the game and we stuck to our principles and basics under pressure.”

As England stood under their own posts, trailing the mighty All Blacks 12-0 with not even 20 minutes on the clock, they could have been forgiven for thinking ‘not again…’ A record of just two wins in your previous 21 matches against a team can give any side a complex.

But this version of England showed their growth and maturity to steadily fight their way back into the contest and pull away as the second half progressed to notch a hugely impressive 33-19 win that laid a few demons to rest.