Now Lancaster eyes Six Nations

England 38 New Zealand 21

When Lancaster stepped into the middle of the wreckage that was English rugby on December 8 last year, few could have envisaged a result or a performance like it. Even on Saturday morning, it was a stretch given the All Blacks were on a 20-Test unbeaten run and England were beginning to feel the heat after successive defeats to Australia and South Africa.

But Lancaster’s callow team delivered one of the great England displays. The All Blacks, who some have called the best team ever, could not live with the thunderous intensity.