England player ratings vs All Blacks: Borthwick's men fall short
Rugby NewsSaturday, 06 July 2024 at 10:07
England player ratings vs All Blacks from the first test of the series in Dunedin.
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New Zealand clinched a narrow 16-15 victory over England in a gripping opening Test in Dunedin, marking a successful start to Scott Robertson's tenure as head coach.
Damian McKenzie's two second-half penalties were pivotal in overturning England's lead, which had been established by Immanuel Feyi-Waboso's try.
At half-time, the score was level, with Sevu Reece and Ardie Savea crossing the line for the All Blacks, while Maro Itoje's try, converted by Marcus Smith, kept England in the contest.
Scroll down for England player ratings vs All Blacks:
England player ratings vs All Blacks:
15. George Furbank 7.5
A solid outing from the Northampton Saints man, as Furbank made some clattering hits and covered well in defence. Under the cosh from the word go as TJ Perenara and Finlay Christie peppered the back-field with high balls, but Furbank held his own and made a few strong running lines to boot.
14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso 7.5
With so much of the build up this week coming from Sevu Reece not knowing much about Manny Feyi-Waboso, the All Blacks will certainly know who the England wing is after today's match. Feyi-Waboso was rapid along the touch-line, and put excellent pressure upon McKenzie when chasing down kicks. Marked his first cap against New Zealand with a try, in an impressive outing in Dunedin.
13. Henry Slade 6.5
England's classy midfield playmaker had a mixed bag today, as he stood up well defensively at the gain-line, but took to long at times to get the ball to his outside men. The Chiefs man was amongst the experienced core group that beat the All Blacks in 2019, and led his youthful back-line throughout the hard-fought Test.
12. Ollie Lawrence 6.5
Not the best performance the Bath man has ever produced, but there was certainly some positive elements to take away from Dunedin. Lawrence made a key turnover to halt the All Blacks in the first half, and contributed a couple of key carries to get his side over the gain-line. Despite having done his homework on Jordie Barrett and Reiko Ioane, the experienced All Blacks midfielders took Lawrence to school at times.
11. Tommy Freeman 6.5
Once more, a mixed bag, middle of the road performance from a member of the England back-line. Once more, the positive focus was on Freeman's defensive efforts, as he nullified some of the threats from Mark Telea, but could not protect the ball upon his own carries. Hopeful for more for the second Test in Auckland, as the high flying Saint didnt hit his feared top gear in Dunedin.
10. Marcus Smith 7
Not the afternoon that Marcus would have wanted from the tee, despite a solid performance in orchestrating his back-line around the park. The Harlequin was name checked by All Blacks captain Scott Barrett as a player his side had their eye on, and it was abundantly clear that Smith's highlights had been playing in the All Blacks camp throughout the week. Smith left eight points on the pitch, which proved to be costly come the narrow score-line at full-time.
9. Alex Mitchell 6.5
Alex Mitchell's approach to the match was not his usual x-factor. The scrum half is celebrated for his ability to snipe the ball around the back of a ruck, with his Premiership Final winning try reaping the rewards. Against the All Blacks, Mitchell was rather one-dimensional with repeated one-out phases and box kicks being the order of the day.
1. Joe Marler 5
The early departure of the evening's action, and question marks have been raised regarding Joe Marler's early exit. Whilst some murmurings suggest the prop injured his foot, other raided eyebrows suggest a blood injury or HIA was at play. We'll find out in due course from Borthwick and co, as Marler exited the field for Fin Baxter's pre-scheduled debut.
2. Jamie George 7
The England skipper led his side well, yet will want to shake the memories of a blundered line-out. The hooker threw in a short ball that did not go straight, which prompted an enormous jeer from the All Blacks fans. George's performance around the park was up to his usual scratch, as he made a handful of short carries and threw his body at the breakdown before departing for Theo Dan.
3. Will Stuart 6
The tight-head had a solid effort up in the front row, and adjusted to his new-found propping partnership with Fin Baxter, following the early exit of Joe Marler. Stuart was able to adjust his scrummaging upon the Harlequins arrival, with the duo winning scrum penalties against the All Blacks.
4. Maro Itoje 7.5
One of the shortlisted names for Player of the Match, Maro Itoje was impressive from start to finish against New Zealand. One last match stands between the Saracen and the end of an arduous season, as despite the comments regarding his on-field minutes, Itoje was up to his usual standards in the penultimate game of his 33-game campaign.
5. George Martin 7.5
The human missile loves the blitz defence that has been introduced by Felix Jones, as George Martin flew out of the line for a clattering hit time and again against the All Blacks. Hard working around the unsung work as well, Martin emptied the tank for the arrival of Alex Coles.
6. Chandler Cunningham-South 7
The New Zealand born back-row was said to have been 'desperate' to get on this tour, according to his Harlequins teammate Marcus Smith. Chandler Cunningham-South's desire to take on the All Blacks and record a historic win was paramount, as he was sorely missed following his second half exit.
7. Sam Underhill 7
The Bath bruiser lived up to his attributed name, as he left his All Black opponents with some dark blue bruising. Joining George Martin with some meteoric hits off the defensive line, Underhill impressed insurmountably in defence. However, the Bath man's head down and drive approach wasn't too impactful against the All Blacks, who could predict his attacking movements.
8. Ben Earl 7
The Saracen is his own harshest critic and will be focussing upon the missed opportunity to make history rather than his own solid performance. Earl's outing was up to his usual strengths, with his customary roar echoing around the enclosed roof of Forsyth Barr. However, the back-row was unable to kick into that final gear that he is beloved for, and gets a 7/10 overall.
REPLACEMENTS:
16. Theo Dan 6
17. Fin Baxter 7
18. Dan Cole 6
19. Alex Coles 6
20. Tom Curry 7
21. Ben Spencer 7
22. Fin Smith 5.5
23. Ollie Sleightholme 5.5
All Blacks player ratings
15. Stephen Perofeta 6.5 - Given the go ahead over Barrett, solid high ball battler with an exciting future in the black jersey.
14. Sevu Reece 7.5 - The Crusaders wing impressed upon his return to the Test match stage. Out for over a year from the All Blacks and marked his return with a well taken try.
13. Rieko Ioane 7 - Hot off an important role in the Blues' triumphant Super Rugby campaign, Reiko was a classy playmaker and made life difficult for Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade.
12. Jordie Barrett 8.5 - The provider of some real 'edge of your seat moments', Jordie Barrett was at his near best against England. We've been mentally replaying that outrageous missed pass.
11. Mark Tele’a 7 - The Blues man is a dangerous threat out wide, with glimpses of his show-stealing best flashing against England. Nullified by Tommy Freeman with his orders passed to Ollie Sleightholme, Tele'a was well prepared for by the England wings.
10. Damian McKenzie 8 - Despite cracking his customary smile just seconds before, McKenzie was unhappy after having a penalty timed out with no shot clock on the big screens. The Chiefs playmaker was entertaining the masses, with well weighted kicks and silky offloads.
9. T.J. Perenara 6 - It was a difficult day to mark TJ's return to the All Blacks, as the nine played his first Test since the 2022 draw against England at Twickenham. Perenara led the haka but was withdrawn at half-time with a knee injury.
1. Ethan de Groot 6.5 - The hometown boy got a wondrous reception, as the Highlanders loose-head ran out at his home stadium. Scrummaged well and got the upper hand in many a midfield carry, de Groot's engine got him round the park and over the gain-line time and again.
2. Codie Taylor 6.5 - The hooker stepped up for the first Test match after Dane Coles' All Blacks retirement. Solid at the set-piece despite England's best efforts to disrupt.
3. Tyrel Lomax 7 - A scrummaging machine, Lomax got an early upper hand over Joe Marler before the Harlequin vacated with a foot injury. The tight-head was tested following the arrival of Fin Baxter, and battled well in the loose.
4. Scott Barrett (c) 7.5 - The most relieved man in Dunedin along with Scott Robertson, the Crusaders lock has his first win under his belt as the new All Blacks captain. Hard-hitting and tireless at the ruck, a stand-out carry saw Barrett canter down-field for an unexpected break.
5. Patrick Tuipulotu 7 - The battering ram to complement Barrett's barrage, Tuipulotu was sent on many a crash ball, to wear down the England defensive with hit after exhaustive hit. Solid tackling as well for a seven point performance.
6. Samipeni Finau 6.5 - The new-coming back-row was name-checked by Scott Robertson mid-week, as he was excited to unleash his new asset upon England. Exciting to see the Crusader get his shot, but would need more to surpass Sam Cane once he returns.
7. Dalton Papali’i 7 - An enjoyable outing from the Blues back-row, who like Reiko Ioane rode a wave of momentum to Dunedin after winning Super Rugby. Let Marcus Smith know he was here in the early goings.
8. Ardie Savea 8 - The World Rugby Player of the Year lived up to his recent accolade, as he crossed over for a well taken try build the All Blacks points tally. Praised after the game by a respectful Ben Earl, who was impressed by his opposite man to no end.
REPLACEMENTS
16. Asafo Aumua 5.5 - Was unable to lift the tempo after replacing Codie Taylor, and will likely take a seat amongst the replacements for the Auckland test. Given the nod with Samisoni Taukei'aho injured, with a step up required at Eden Park.
17. Ofa Tu’ungafasi 6.5 - The replacement tight-head had a solid outing, with short and sharp carries chipping away at the English defence. Tu'ungafasi pushed for a starting spot, and battled well at the scrum.
18. Fletcher Newell 5.5 - Not the most memorable performance from the replacement tight-head, who was bested up-front by the debutant Fin Baxter.
19. Tupou Vaa’i 6 - Offered a lift of intensity in the locks, as he replaced a fatiguing Patrick Tuipulotu. Formed a nice partnership in the engine room under his new captain Scott Barrett, who kept the tiring pack moving forward.
20. Luke Jacobson 6.5 - The Chiefs man took it upon himself to blitz against England's blitz, and flew out of the line with an assortment of well-timed hits. However, his late involvement did not contribute too much memorable action in attack.
21. Finlay Christie 7.5 - The halfback known as 'Red' by his affectionate teammates, Christie did a solid job in lifting the attack after TJ Perenara's half-time withdrawl. Christie sent some dangerous box-kicks skyward, as Sevu Reece nailed George Furbank time and again.
22. Anton Lienert-Brown 5.5 - An older experienced midfielder that Robertson could rely on for stability, Lienert-Brown's key involvements were more to do with his verbal guidance to see his side through for the win.
23. Beauden Barrett 7.5 - The calls for Beauden Barrett's involvement drowned out the intercom, as the fullback replaced Perofeta shortly after the break. An immediate lift was noticed upon the All Blacks back-three, with the high ball battle dominated by Barrett.
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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