It has been six years since de la Rose’s XV last felt the euphoria of victory against New Zealand. The last time was in 2019 and this World Cup semi-final in Japan, winning 19 to 7. Almost forever. So what is clear is that when referee Andrea Piardi blew the whistle, Saturday 15 November, at the end of the test match between the two teams, the England players could not contain their excitement. Especially since this long-awaited success, they performed in front of their crowd at Twickenham, the temple of rugby on the outskirts of London, where the Blacks haven’t lost since 2012, and with panache: 33-19.
The scenario of the meeting reinforces the symbolism of the moment. The reason was, Steve Borthwick’s troops were behind (0-12) until finally Ollie Lawrence signaled the time to reply, by scoring a try, in the 25th minute.e minute. In the end, de la Rose’s XV scored four goals, compared to three for the New Zealanders.
Awesome kicking game
However, the England side were especially grateful to their fly-half, George Ford. The unfortunate hero in the last duel between the two selections, on the same page, in 2024 (lost 22-24), due to his lack of precision against the post, this time showed his extraordinary kicking game. Thanks to two transformations, two falls and a penalty, the native of Oldham, on the outskirts of Manchester, enabled Rose’s team to achieve the second biggest success in its history against the Blacks (38-21 in 2012).
Steve Borthwick’s protégés continued their good momentum, after wins against Australia (25-7) then against Fiji (38-18), during the autumn tour. England are currently on a ten-match unbeaten run.
