England player ratings: Magic Marcus Smith now the ‘incumbent’ as George Ford tragically flops in Twickenham heartbreak
England's Marcus Smith on a break against New Zealand.
Following the All Blacks’ 24-22 comeback thriller at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, here are our player ratings for Steve Borthwick’s England.
England player ratings
15 George Furbank: Perhaps a bit guilty for coming in early for the first All Blacks try but was assured otherwise. He tried to make things happen but did not replicate the fireworks he has shown in the Premiership in recent times. 5
14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso: Sensational, the rookie continues to take to Test rugby like a duck to water as he finished off the long-range try that should have won England the game. Elsewhere, he was imperious in the air and beat a whopping seven defenders. 8
13 Henry Slade: For all the talk of how important he is for the defensive line, Slade did not produce in the way we had expected. By no means was he terrible but it was not an effort that has cemented his spot. 6
12 Ollie Lawrence: He may not have had the most freedom on attack but the bruising Bath man made a ridiculous 22 tackles as he anchored the midfield for England. What a player he is and will become. 8
11 Tommy Freeman: Not a great deal to say for a player who had a lot to deal with in Mark Tele’a and failed to really stamp his mark on the game. 5
10 Marcus Smith: Inspired. The pivot really stood up in this one from how he controlled the game at times to how well he kicked off the tee to that crucial intercept that created a try. Smith has magically announced himself as England’s incumbent 10 with that performance and in hindsight, the decision to replace him just after the hour lost them the game in some respects. 9
9 Ben Spencer: The scrum-half made a couple of errors here and there but was as feisty as ever with his contestable kicking game blowing hot and cold during the game. He still gets the thumbs up from us in a solid outing. 6
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8 Ben Earl: As we have come to expect from the number eight he absolutely emptied the tank on both defence and attack, hitting double digits in his numbers on both sides of the ball. He would have earned a higher rating but his grass-cutter tackle late on proved costly in the result. 7
7 Tom Curry: Another big worker in the England back-row that looked pretty balanced for the most part. Curry emptied the tank making 14 tackles and tried to get into the game at the breakdown with a bit less luck. 6
6 Chandler Cunningham-South: Looks like England have found their battering ram of a blindside. This one was clearly personal as Cunningham-South grew up in New Zealand and he produced his best performance at Test level. 8
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5 George Martin: Just brutal as we have come to expect from the second-row who in his own words loves to “melt” his opposition. 15 tackles, some neat work in the line-out for the most part in a strong shift. 7
4 Maro Itoje: The second-row loves a big game and produced some key plays in big moments from his powerful carries early on to a key steal in the second period, Itoje was another inspired star tonight. 8
3 Will Stuart: The tighthead had a really strong set-piece showing as he gave Tamaiti Williams hell. In fact, the difference was clear as the All Blacks started getting penalties at scrum-time after he had been subbed. 8
2 Jamie George: Rolls Royce. He makes very few errors and is ultra-reliable with his duties. The England captain was not at fault for much but in the same breath didn’t set the world alight. 6
1 Ellis Genge: Solid scrummaging performance but no characteristic Genge moments where he bursts through tackles and/or gets in the faces of the opposition. 6
Replacements: To be frank this is where the game was lost as the only substitute to really make an impact was Ben Curry. With the bench players, the scrum struggled and conceded penalties while George Ford unfortunately had a cameo to forget with a below-par tackle attempt in Tele’a’s try and a missed drop goal. 3
