All Blacks Cam Roigard and Wallace Sititi celebrate at full-time after George Ford of England misses a drop goal attempt at the final whistle during All Blacks v England. Photo: Bob Martin/ActionPress
Analysis - For a while there, it looked like the All Blacks were going to cost themselves a test match at Twickenham. With 15 minutes to go, they'd conceded 10 penalties to two, had numerous issues with simply catching the ball and were falling into the same problem they'd had all year of not adding to the scoreboard in the back ends of games.
But then, in what was easily the most encouraging sign yet from Scott Robertson's side, they flicked the switch to win a messy but absorbing test 24-22. Not only that, they did it off the back of one very crucial call, cashed in and then held their nerve and overcame adversity to close out a dramatic final period.
Ref Angus Gardner's reversal of a penalty in the 67th minute due to Ben Earl's daisy-cutter shot on Pasilio Tosi was the key moment. It came after Maro Itoje, who was immense throughout, had just pulled off what should've been a crucial turnover the other way - which will make the moment even more galling for the English.
All Black Cortez Ratima celebrates with All Black Mark Tele'a after Mark Tele'a scores the opening try during All Blacks v England test. Photo: Bob Martin/ActionPress
But it didn't bother Damian McKenzie, who slotted the goal, got the All Blacks within a converted try of the lead and then got to work engineering what eventually was Mark Tele'a's try. Not only that, but he calmly slotted the conversion from the sideline that made the score 24-22.
It wasn't over though, and unfortunately for England, this is where the difference between the two sides became evident. Anton Lienert-Brown's sinbinning handed George Ford a chance to win, and he missed. Patrick Tuipulotu, who was otherwise excellent in a second half shift, then knocked on and handed England another chance for a drop goal - again Ford missed.
And that was that.
The question now is did the All Blacks turn a corner, or were simply fortunate to be playing a team that has even bigger issues at the business end of tests than they have. While it's certainly true that England's inability to score at crucial times has cost them dearly across the board this year, it really did feel like it was more of the All Blacks calmly adjusting and getting on with the job.
Which is probably the most reassuring aspect we've seen out of them since Scott Robertson took over. It managed to overcome a litany of errors and gave the victory a very much 'job done' type feel before they move on to Dublin next weekend, which is a tad ironic given the drama that enveloped the build-up.
All Black Rieko Ioane is tackled by Ellis Genge of England during All Blacks v England test. Photo: Joe Toth/ActionPress
It's important to note first of all that England were very good for the most part, most of the All Black lapses in judgement were very much due to the pressure that was being put on them. The home side started well, Marcus Smith kicked well, the scrum put the All Blacks under the most pressure they've felt all year. They had all the pieces for a famous and satisfying win in front of 82,000, but just couldn't connect it to the end of the game.
Just why Smith was subbed is mystifying, but no one in the All Black camp will be worried. On the flip side, the much-maligned All Black bench provided exactly what was needed. McKenzie has come in for his fair share of scrutiny, so he'll be feeling pretty content after nailing that kick, as will Tele'a after questions over form have dominated his narrative.
But while the focus was on the end, it's also important to note that while the All Blacks had the dropsies for most of the game, they did make some crucial and ruthless decisions. Both Tele'a and Will Jordan's first half tries were the result of quickly identifying that Ellis Genge had far too much space to defend effectively, with the resulting moves seeing the poor English prop doing his best impression of a turnstile as the All Black speed merchants blew past him.
So, while it was far from perfect, the All Blacks should be happy about what went right. That's because instead of that chat being used to salvage positives from a loss, they can look to build on it for a couple of even bigger tests coming up.
