LONDON - The All Blacks were lucky to beat Australia in the Tri-Nations rugby test in Sydney, and England are a better defensive side than both the Wallabies and New Zealand, say the British media.
The Sunday Times conceded it was a great game, but they slated parts of the All Blacks' performance.
"The All Blacks were lucky. They were out of the game from the eighth to the 82nd minute. Their pack in the primary phases was poor. They were lucky that referee Andre Watson was so lenient with their ball-killing activities.
"They had a disastrous day in the lineout, losing several of their own throws."
The Times said Todd Blackadder was no great shakes in terms of world class as a test lock.
The All Blacks' defence, along with Australia's, was singled out as inferior to England's.
"England would have backed their ever-improving defensive system to leak nothing like the 39 points conceded by Australia and nothing like the 35 conceded by New Zealand," The Times said.
The paper said that England's forward pack would not lose any sleep over the All Blacks' forward performance.
The New Zealand lineout was a "shambles" and the All Blacks didn't have a back row option as good as England's Lawrence Dallaglio.
Despite the All Blacks not measuring up to England in defensive departments, the match was singled out by The Times as the "greatest game ever played," surpassing the All Blacks-France World Cup semifinal last year.
- NZPA
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