Tommy Makinson of England celebrates after scoring a try against the Kiwis. Photo / Getty
England 20
Kiwis 14
In the cauldron of Anfield, the Kiwis crumbled.
Liverpool FC's hallowed turf, in only the fifth league match to feature here, set the scene for the Kiwis to try level this three-test series this morning.
Up 14-6 early in the second half in an often-heated affair, Michael Maguire's men seemed destined to force a decider in Leeds after botching last week's opener in Hull.
In truth they should have. It was theirs to lose. And they did just that, 20-14.
As the clock ticked down, and the 26,234 crowd rose in volume to form an incredible atmosphere, once again too many basic errors from the Kiwis allowed England to storm home with three second-half tries.
The brutal reality is, two weeks in a row now, the Kiwis have failed to display the character and discipline required to win tight, tense test matches.
They're not far away but, equally, they're certainly not where they need to be.
Inspirational captain Dallin Watene-Zelezniak put his side in control not long after half time with a superb burst through the middle of the park. The fullback showed composure to buy time and expertly pick out Warriors wing Ken Maumalo.
Shaun Johnson's on-point goal kicking then put the Kiwis eight ahead, the biggest lead of the series, only for it to be squandered by the frustrating, coach-killer moments this youthful side keeps producing under pressure.
Watene-Zelezniak dropped a high ball; Jordan Rapana spilt a sitter in the in-goal. Referee Gerard Sutton also missed a strip on Rapana.
England hit back twice in five minutes to level.
Having held the upper hand for much of the match, the Kiwis couldn't find a response.
Tommy Makinson's hat-trick with six-and-a-half minutes left – a try which had several claiming a knock-on but was confirmed by the TMO – effectively extinguished hopes of the Kiwis securing their first three-test series win in England since 1998.
The hardest part for Maguire to stomach is his men had so many chances to win this.
Rookie English centre Jake Connor missed three wide-angled conversions.
Even with three minutes to play and the Kiwis hot on attack, Watene-Zelezniak went looking for a miracle ball which went over the sideline.
Clinical composure was absent.
The Kiwis dominated the first half too but, locked at 6-6, didn't have enough to show for it.
There was an early fire in the belly with much more aggressive defence, and through tackling in numbers the Kiwis forced repeat errors.
The pack achieved go forward, regularly set up camp in England's half, by shifting one pass wide of the ruck where England's big men lurked.
Watene-Zelezniak, brilliant in combination with Maumalo bringing the ball out of their end, effortlessly sliced through for a near-identical opening try to last week.
Canberra finisher Rapana was twice denied in the right-hand corner and Kevin Proctor, strong on the carry throughout, also couldn't find the ground when over the line.
Yet for all this dominance, the Kiwis couldn't convert.
After Jesse Bromwich and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves were replaced, the Kiwis go-forward largely dried up.
They bunched in the middle, tired and made crucial mistakes.
Just as they did last week, England struck minutes before the interval, and again exposed the Kiwis' immaturity down the stretch.
Instead of forcing a decider the Kiwis must now salvage pride or face the ignominy of a whitewash next week.
This is not what they sought to achieve.
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