England 22-24 New Zealand

England v New Zealand Match Reports

England were narrowly beaten 24-22 by New Zealand in a dramatic opening autumn international at Twickenham. The All Blacks enjoyed the best of the first half, scoring two tries through Mark Tele'a and Will Jordan. England managed to stay in touch thanks to four penalty kicks from Marcus Smith and trailed 14-12 at the break. The home side took the lead early in the second half when Immanuel Feyi-Waboso finished a break that began with a Smith interception. Smith then kicked a fifth penalty on the hour mark to extend England's lead. The visitors closed the gap with a Damian McKenzie penalty kick in the 67th minute. Relentless pressure then led to Tele'a scoring his second try in the 76th minute as the All Blacks drew level, before McKenzie converted from the corner to give them a slender lead. England were awarded a penalty in the closing minutes, but George Ford hit the posts with his kick. Ford's drop-goal attempt a few minutes later went agonisingly wide as England fell short once again. A selection of match reports is listed below:

• Autumn Internationals: England miss late chances to claim prized New Zealand scalp in narrow defeat
• BBC: All Blacks edge out England in dramatic finale
• Guardian: Late Tele’a try and Ford misses break England hearts as New Zealand triumph
• Sky Sports: All Blacks edge thriller in dramatic Twickenham finale
• ESPN: George Ford miss hands All Blacks win
• New Zealand Herald: New Zealand do it the hard way at Twickenham to compete 2024 clean sweep
• England Rugby: England beaten by All Blacks in Autumn opener
• All Blacks: Heart-Stopping Victory at Twickenham Seals Clean Sweep Over England