In a stunning display of resilience and tactical brilliance, England produced one of their finest performances in recent memory to defeat New Zealand 33-19 at a euphoric Twickenham Stadium on Saturday 15th November 2025.
Early Setback Sparks Remarkable Comeback
The match began in nightmare fashion for the hosts as New Zealand surged to a 12-0 lead within the opening twenty minutes. Leicester Fainga'anuku, whose father played at Twickenham for Tonga during the 1999 World Cup, fittingly opened the scoring by burrowing over from close range.
The All Blacks' dominance continued when Codie Taylor dotted down in the same corner after collecting Billy Proctor's clever bounce pass, leaving England staring at a potentially disastrous start against the most iconic team in world sport.
Borthwick's Masterstroke Turns the Tide
England head coach Steve Borthwick's controversial decision to stack his bench with six British and Irish Lions, boasting 317 caps of combined experience, proved inspired as the replacements transformed the contest.
The hosts began their fightback through Ollie Lawrence, whose powerful run saw him push off Leroy Carter and bounce through Beauden Barrett's tackle to score. George Ford then slotted two drop goals before half-time, continuing his personal campaign to make the technique fashionable again and narrowing the deficit to a single point at the break.
Second Half Domination Seals Historic Win
England emerged from the interval with renewed purpose, completely flipping the game within three minutes of the restart. Sam Underhill powered over the line after Codie Taylor's sin-binning for playing the ball on the ground, giving England their first lead.
Lawrence turned provider for the next score, delivering a deft offload to Fraser Dingwall who crashed over to extend the advantage to 25-12. The introduction of Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, Tom Curry and Henry Pollock on 56 minutes injected fresh energy, with the substitutes immediately winning a scrum penalty that demonstrated their impact.
Although Will Jordan's try fifteen minutes from time briefly threatened a comeback, Ford's nerveless penalty and Tom Roebuck's late try secured a comprehensive 33-19 victory that sent England fans into raptures.
Statement Made for World Cup Ambitions
This victory represents England's tenth consecutive win and ends a miserable run of just two victories in their previous twenty-one encounters with the All Blacks. The manner of the comeback, from 12-0 down to secure a 14-point margin, suggests Steve Borthwick's project is building something special ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
The intensity was evident even before kick-off as England stood defiantly in a semi-circle to face the haka, with young Henry Pollock particularly relishing his role at the front, barely blinking throughout the traditional challenge.
With Argentina visiting Twickenham next Sunday, England will now back themselves to make it eleven straight victories, sending them into the penultimate Six Nations before the 2027 World Cup riding an enormous wave of confidence and genuine belief that something special is brewing in English rugby.
