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England v New Zealand - does it get any bigger than this? Outside a World Cup you'd be struggling to find a more serious afternoon of rugby. The red carpet's out, the band's in position. Now we're just waiting for the teams to emerge from the Twickenham tunnel for the biggest of autumn internationals. Kick-off just 10 minutes away.
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| 1 |
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A minute's silence to remember the fallen of two World Wars, followed by the anthems and then a spine-chilling haka - that was some build-up. But now it's time for business. We're underway at HQ and the countdown to World Cup 2015 is on.
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| 2 |
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England fail to secure their own kick-off and there's a bout of to-me-to-you in the kicking game before Owen Farrell sends his side deep into the All Blacks 22. New Zealand fail to clear their lines and England regain possession, moving it into the hands of Jonny May who turns on the gas to score in the left corner.
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| 3 |
5 - 0 |
May - try
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| 6 |
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Owen Farrell fails to add the conversion but England will be bouncing after such an early score. Farrell puts the missed place-kick behind him to send a delightful chip over into the All Black 22, where Jonny May (again) pounces to put himself in a scoring position. He can't quite shake the tacklers though.
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| 8 |
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It's all about England at the moment. They ruin an All Black maul and Billy Vunipola jumps all over a hesitant Aaron Smith. Farrell then kicks the resultant penalty deep into the oppo's 22 and it's the Red Rose camped on the All Black try line.
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| 10 |
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Ooh! The pressure so nearly pays off. Playing just five metres in front of the All Black try line, Kyle Eastmond hurls a beautiful pass out to Mike Brown on the right wing, but the full-back can't quite get his fingers to it and he knocks on what would almost certainly have been a second try.
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| 13 |
5 - 5 |
How clinical are the All Blacks? It's all been going England's way so far, but the visitors start going through the phases inside England's half. One missed tackle on Jerome Kaino later and Aaron Cruden goes barging over to the right of the posts. He fails to convert his own try but it's a warning to England - fail in defence and you're done.
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| 14 |
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Hmm, on second look, that's a marginal call from referee Nigel Owens. Cruden only just touched that down, if he managed it at all. Still, no referral to the TMO and the ref's word is final. Play on.
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| 17 |
8 - 5 |
Whatever the validity of Cruden's try, his opposite number in a white shirt boots England back in front from, well, right in front of the posts.
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| 18 |
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What an afternoon for rugby
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| 21 |
11 - 5 |
There's a lot of, shall we say, huffing and puffing up front but no one's really going anywhere. Then, foolishly, the All Blacks concede a penalty in almost exactly the same spot as Farrell's last score and the England fly-half duly obliges.
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| 22 |
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There's a pause for a Courtney Lawes head injury - the big England lock sporting a new set of locks, incidentally - and Nigel Owens wants a word with Dylan Hartley. He's being told off for an off-the-ball barge on Cruden, but he gets away with conceding just a penalty. No cards yet. Lawes' knock is obviously worse than it first looked and he's replaced by debutant George Kruis.
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| 23 |
11 - 8 |
Hartley's shoulder charge on Cruden - which looked more like a late-ish tackle than anything too naughty - results in a penalty to the left of the posts. The All Black fly-half has no trouble in hitting the target, but both New Zealand scores so far have had tinges of controversy.
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| 26 |
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There's head injuries galore down there. David Wilson and George Kruis both need treatment. With Lawes off, Stuart Lancaster won't want many more changes to the pack.
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| 30 |
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Courtney Lawes is staying off and the egg he's grown on the side of his head in the past five minutes suggests that it's a good idea. George Kruis, how do you fancy the better part of an hour against the All Blacks at Twickers?
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| 31 |
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| 33 |
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We're settling down into a more balanced match-up after the initial chaos at HQ, but England eventually manage to edge into New Zealand territory. Farrell opts for a dropped goal attempt from way out and, in truth, it's a waste of a decent position. His effort falls limply to the right of the posts and the All Blacks have a chance to clear.
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| 36 |
11 - 11 |
New Zealand come charging into England territory and set up dangerman Sonny Bill Williams to receive the crash ball at pace. England manage to bring him down, just, but Nigel Owens has the opportunity to ping three different players for infringements at the ruck. Eastmond on the wrong side, Chris Robshaw with his hands all over the place. Cruden slots the penalty and it's all-square. This is so finely poised.
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| 40 |
14 - 11 |
Half-time comes and brings with it another three English points via the right boot of Owen Farrell. New Zealand skipper Richie McCaw is the man pinged by Owens. The hosts go into the break as leaders, but only just. They should be further ahead, but you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth...
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You have to say, Sonny Bill has been largely anonymous so far. Obviously you can never write him off, but England have scragged him when needed.
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| 41 |
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We're back underway and England promptly concede a penalty just inside their own half. Cruden steps up to whack it over and... oops, he hits the post. Dave Attwood then grabs the loose ball for England and goes on a berserker run, returning the ball to half-way.
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| 42 |
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Oh, and while we're at it, just before the penalty was conceded, Julian Savea was gifted a good 20 metres to run in. You don't want to give him space like that and Brad Barritt learnt that the hard way. Savea crashed over the England centre and he'll have to consider that a warning.
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| 45 |
14 - 16 |
Ouch. England's George Kruis, on his debut, comes flying out of the line for an intercept that was never there. New Zealand are then able to work an, with Israel Dagg popping a terrible pass to Richie McCaw. The skipper juggles successfully and dives over in the right corner to put the All Blacks in front. Cruden misses a tricky conversion - although it was an awful attempt.
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| 50 |
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England need to get a grip on this otherwise the All Blacks are going to be out of sight. McCaw turns over Billy Vunipola and New Zealand send the ball deep into Red Rose territory. It's wave after wave of New Zealand attack here.
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| 53 |
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There's a hypnotic ruck, run, ruck, run sequence going on just on half-way. England seem to be targeting Sonny Bill, although that's probably more by luck than design. Farrell throws a delightful step to shake off Cruden but England aren't gaining territory.
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| 54 |
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Oh boy oh boy. England are very fortunate there. Their failure to gain territory comes back to bite them as New Zealand bash it down onto their tryline. A ruck forms after debutant Semesa Rokoduguni collects the ball and, just as England are trying to clear their lines with the ball on the tryline itself, Sam Whitelock comes flying in from a legal position to touch the ball. Nigel Owens goes upstairs and between him and the TMO, they decide it was a knock-on from Whitelock. That should have been an All Black try.
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| 56 |
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Dane Coles is in the bin! A ruck forms in the right corner on England's tryline and Dylan Hartley gives Coles' shirt a little tug. It's petty, but not going to bring the world to an end. Coles, in reply, kicks out and catches the ankle of Danny Care, who is buried under a pile of forwards. Nigel Owens asks the TMO to review the incident again and again, and then ignores his recommendation of just a penalty to show Coles a yellow for retaliation. Harsh decision, maybe, but it was stupid from Coles.
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| 57 |
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| 60 |
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England indebted to Roko once again, who leaps on a loose ball deep in his own half. Owens finds that he carried back into the try zone, so it's a scrum five metres out for the All Blacks. Aaron Smith fires the ball out to Sonny Bill, who is mobbed by four England tacklers. The All Blacks move it out wide again, finding Savea, who - honestly - drops it. Let off for England.
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| 62 |
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New Zealand are down to 14 men but they're playing as if they've got 16. England haven't been out of their own half for what seems like hours. The rain is lashing down now too.
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| 64 |
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Beaudy Barrett has the chance to put New Zealand a converted try in front but he shanks his penalty attempt horribly wide. The rain is wreaking havoc down there.
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| 65 |
14 - 19 |
So close! Sonny Bill goes flying through the England line and is just, just brought down by newly-introduced George Ford five metres out. It looks as though Tom Wood is offside though and Barrett nails his bite at the penalty apple.
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| 66 |
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England are, again, lucky there. Nigel Owens wanted to know the number of the England player who was offside but his touch judge couldn't help. Looked to be Tom Wood although Ben Morgan is being pictured by the TV replays. The Red Rose could have been down to 14 men.
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| 68 |
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Dane Coles is back on and New Zealand have won the sin-bin period 3-0.
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| 69 |
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| 70 |
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England just cannot get their hands on the ball.
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| 71 |
14 - 24 |
Charlie Faumuina barrels over under a pile of black and white shirts and, after Owens makes a belated call on the TMO, the All Blacks' reserve prop forward is awarded his first international try. Barrett again fluffs the kick but the All Blacks are fast disappearing over the horizon.
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| 76 |
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The rain eases off slightly but there's little else to write home about from an England point of view... The All Blacks are just grinding this one out.
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| 79 |
21 - 24 |
Hold on, it ain't over just yet. England snaffle a series of penalties and pack down for a scrum five metres from the All Blacks tryline. The pressure tells in the end and Owens awards a penalty try. George Ford converts with a dropped goal and England have one minute to secure the win.
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| 80 |
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One minute is not enough and England lose out to the world champions at Twickenham. That was a Test match of blood and thunder and, if this fixture is repeated in next year's semi-finals, you'd back the winner to go on and lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
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