Overview
- England secured only their ninth win over New Zealand and their first at Twickenham since 2012 with a 33-19 victory.
- Jamie George said he devised the pre-match V-shaped haka response, positioning Maro Itoje at the point and youngest squad member Henry Pollock on an end.
- Set-piece strength proved pivotal as England’s scrum earned key second-half penalties and was hailed by Itoje as a “weapon,” with the bench reinforcing control after the third-quarter sin-bin.
- The result stretched England’s winning run to 10 matches and lifted them to third in the world rankings.
- Head coach Steve Borthwick confirmed lock Ollie Chessum will miss the Argentina match due to a foot injury, as George Ford and Itoje urged the team to ensure the win is not a one-off.