Gamble pays off as England rally to outclass All Blacks

New Zealand 19 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.

- LUKE BAKER AT ALLIANZ STADIUM, TWICKENHAM

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 33-19win that laid a few demons to rest.

A World Cup marker laid down almost two years out from the tournament? That is probably a claim too far, but the Steve Borthwick project is rattling along nicely and his side looks to be building something truly special as many rivals begin to falter.

Borthwick’s gamble of stacking the bench with six British and Irish Lions, and 317 caps of experience, perhaps very slightly at the expense of the starting XV, paid dividends. It was Eddie Jones who labelled his replacements as ‘finishers’, but it’s under this England coach that the ‘Pom Squad’ have become the masters of killing off Test matches.

In the previous four matches between these sides, there had been one draw and All Black victories by one, two and seven points respectively. Each contest had come down to the final seconds, with England failing to win on any occasion, so Borthwick trusted his starters to keep them in the game and allow the big guns to finish the job in those defining moments.

Throughout this Quilter Nations Series, the All Blacks have also shown the ability to take over games in the final 20 minutes, as Scotland and Ireland will attest, but this time, their backups could do little to stop the white tidal wave that was crashing down upon them.