New Zealand's Brodie Retallick charges at the England defense during the rugby union international match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham. Photo / AP
NZME rugby writer Patrick McKendry rates the players from the All Blacks' win this morning over England.
All Blacks:
15. Damian McKenzie 7 – Well-taken try in a typically willo-the-wisp performance. A couple of errors but overall very good.
14. Ben Smith 7 – A couple of excellent breaks which weren't capitalised on by his teammates. Relentless in attacking ball in the air.
13. Jack Goodhue 6 – Play didn't go his way. One or two good carries.
12. Sonny Bill Williams 5 – Off with shoulder injury after 30 minutes. Quiet. Injury could send him home.
11. Rieko Ioane 7 – A constant attacking threat on left wing, but got it wrong defensively for Chris Ashton's try in the opening minutes.
10. Beauden Barrett 7 – Kicked well at times, poorly at others, and too often overall in first half. Goalkicking at 100 per cent again which was crucial, and a nice dropped goal – his first in tests.
9. Aaron Smith 6 – Not quite the influence he would have liked to have been. Poor pass to Ardie Savea in first half when try on. Some of his box kicking was off.
8. Kieran Read (capt) 8 – Leadership couldn't be faulted and made right decisions at right times. A lineout force and part of a brilliant set piece.
7. Ardie Savea 7 – Excellent form continues – gave All Blacks sorely-needed momentum in first half with crucial carries.
6. Liam Squire 6 – Good turnover in first half but otherwise a bit quiet. Would have been nice to see him with ball more.
5. Brodie Retallick 10 – Freakish performance given his limited recent game time. Destroyed England lineout in second half and was into absolute everything. A big reason why the All Blacks won.
4. Sam Whitelock 9 – Not far behind his second-row teammate. And like Retallick, Whitelock got better as game went on. They both have incredible engines.
3. Owen Franks 6 – Very solid in scrum and general basics. Didn't show up otherwise.
2. Codie Taylor 7 – Good again, but fatigue possibly showing after another huge year. He'll be pleased Coles is back.
1. Karl Tu'inukuafe 7 – Anchored a very good scrum – England just couldn't budge him. Nearing the end of an incredible year for big Karl.
Reserves:
16. Dane Coles 7 – Scrapped his heart out during his 37 minutes on pitch. Had a few words for England front row, too.
17. Ofa Tuungafasi 6 – A good, disciplined, performance. No penalties given away but could have been pinged in front of posts late in test for not releasing in a tackle.
18. Nepo Laulala 6 – Similar to Tuungafasi – Laulala carried on excellent set piece effort.
19. Scott Barrett 7 – His first act was a lineout steal and it set the tone. Did exactly what was required.
20 Matt Todd 7 – A defensive powerhouse as usual when replacing Savea.
21. TJ Perenara 6 – Played with confidence but heart in mouth when clearance charged down for late England "try". Luckily for him it was cancelled out.
22. Richie Mo'unga 6 – Composed with ball, but didn't have chance to work usual attacking magic.
23. Ryan Crotty 8 – Midfielder's entrance helped change course of game. Direct, mistake-free, and appeared to communicate well.
England:
15. Elliot Daly 6 – Part of an excellent first-half effort, but drifted into obscurity after break.
14. Chris Ashton 7 – Well-taken try. Good work rate. This was his sort of game.
13. Henry Slade 6 – Didn't make huge impact. Good dummy and clearance in second half.
12. Ben Te'o 6 – Direct and powerful – perfect for the game England played in first half. But lacks subtlety.
11. Jonny May 7 – Good early break and grubber kick as England kept the pressure on. Worked hard.
10. Owen Farrell (cc) 8 – England's brain and often its brawn, too. Made a huge tackle on Read and used his arms as well.
9. Ben Youngs 7 – Excellent kicking game - pushed Aaron Smith hard.
8. Mark Wilson 6 – Good run in second half. Defensively pretty good with 15 tackles and only two misses.
7. Sam Underhill 9 – Mammoth test from the 22-year-old. Made 20 tackles and over the line for what would have been a match-winner, only for the try to be ruled out. Very promising.
6. Brad Shields 6 – Off for head injury assessment in first half. Defensively good but not much on attack from the Hurricanes player.
5. George Kruis 6 – Injury in second half as the All Blacks tight five turned the screw.
4. Maro Itoje 7 – Dominant in first quarter, but faded as the All Blacks gradually got upper hand up front.
3. Kyle Sinckler 7 – A couple of nice touches on attack and defence. Good skills for a prop but second-half mistake invited ridicule from Coles.
2. Dylan Hartley (cc) 7 – Off at halftime. Leadership gives him an extra point – there's something about the Kiwi-born hooker that brings out the best in his teammates.
1. Ben Moon 6 – Made a few tackles. Didn't show up otherwise.
Reserves:
16. Jamie George 4 – Partly at fault for England's second-half lineout shambles.
17. Alec Hepburn 5 – Played final quarter and made a few tackles.
18. Harry Williams 5 – Same as above.
19. Charlie Ewels 5 – Couldn't keep up with All Blacks locks.
20. Courtney Lawes 7 – Provided biggest impact from England's bench. Might be putting pressure on Shields for No6 jersey.
21. Danny Care 6 – A couple of good touches.
22. George Ford 5 – Not much impact.
23. Jack Nowell 5 – As above.
OPINION: The All Blacks need a third option at first five given its high attrition rate.