All Blacks trounce England for second time

New Zealand 36-12 England

England slumped to a 36-12 second Test defeat against New Zealand at Eden Park after Wasps lock Simon Shaw was sent off and All Blacks wing Joe Rokocoko scored three tries.

The stadium was still shrouded in smoke from the pre-match fireworks as Welsh referee Nigel Williams set the second Test in motion.

England fly-half Charlie Hodgson kicked off, and unlike in Dunedin, the ball fell well short of All Blacks wing Joe Rokocoko, whose magical 60-metre break at Carisbrook had left the world champions reeling.

England won their first lineout, via Borthwick’s clean catch, but England infringed through wing Ben Cohen and New Zealand gained field position 10 metres inside their opponents’ half.

Holah’s first contribution was to run clear in space, and it took a hacked clearance from England flanker Richard Hill to avert danger with Muliaina bearing down on him.

England responded by surging back upfield, and Hodgson booted them into a sixth-minute lead after the All Blacks pulled down a scrum.

England showed no sign of nerves, and they were immediately back on the attack through runs by Worsley, Simon Shaw and Trevor Woodman.

The All Blacks midfield defence drifted offside as they reorganised, and Hodgson’s second short-range penalty made it 6-0.

Tempers were frayed, and it erupted into violence on 12 minutes, with England paying a huge price.

Punches were exchanged, but touch judge Andrew Cole flagged after Shaw waded into opposite number Keith Robinson with his knee.

After a delay while the officials consulted, Wasps lock Shaw was red-carded. He became only the third England player to be sent off in Test match history, and the first since Danny Grewcock against New Zealand six years ago.

It was a savage blow for England, who were reduced to 14 men with almost 70 minutes of the game remaining, and All Blacks centre Daniel Carter immediately cut the deficit with a penalty.

Three England players - Gomarsall, Abbott and Hill - received treatment for knocks in quick succession, and it was backs to the wall for the tourists' seven forwards.

Skipper Lawrence Dallaglio moved up into the second row at lineout time, but New Zealand entered the second quarter, still having failed to cross England’s line.

England were giving as good as they got, and they should have extended their lead, but Hodgson sent an angled drop-goal attempt wide from 30 metres under no pressure.

The game had calmed down following Shaw’s dismissal, and England were more than content to keep New Zealand inside their own half.

It was valiant stuff from the world champions, but they suffered an injury blow when Abbott was forced off, to be replaced by Wasps team-mate Fraser Waters, who was first capped on tour in North America three years ago.

Remarkably, despite all the setbacks, England were still ahead, relying on huge levels of courage and resilience.

New Zealand could not establish consistently threatening field positions, hindered by England’s ferociously-committed tackling, and as half-time approached, the more it looked as though England would preserve their narrow advantage.

Right on cue though, Rokocoko blazed clear and sent Carter sprinting clear into space.

Voyce pulled off a superb tackle on the All Blacks centre, but referee Williams went to video official Matt Goddard to check the touchdown.

It was awarded in New Zealand’s favour, with Carter appearing to have scored, although Rokocoko rapidly followed through with downward pressure. Carter’s conversion made it 10-6.

England then suffered another injury loss, losing their second centre as Tindall departed to be replaced by his Bath colleague Olly Barkley.

Things could not get any worse for Woodward’s men, and they trooped off at half-time having had one player sent off and both centres depart injured.

New Zealand began to enjoy a steady supply of possession, but their attacking efforts were undone by some poor passing from scrum-half Justin Marshall.

Barkley cleared England’s defensive lines with a long-range kick, only for the All Blacks to regain a promising attacking platform when full-back Josh Lewsey’s clearance went straight into touch.

New Zealand needed no second invitation to make it count, and full-back Nick Evans entered the line at pace, sending Rokocoko over for his 14th Test try.

Carter converted from the touchline, and New Zealand led 17-6 after 46 minutes, effectively making the game safe, given their one-man advantage.

Woodward then sent Bath flanker Michael Lipman on for his first cap, replacing Hill, who had taken a knock during the first period.

Gaps were starting to appear out wide, and it was all England could do to keep the try-hungry All Blacks out.

New Zealand added their third try on 55 minutes, with Evans again showing his pace and creating space for Rokocoko to complete a double.

Carter converted, preserving his remarkable 100% success-rate in the series, and England’s spirited resistance had finally crumbled.

Hodgson completed a penalty hat-trick three minutes later, before Woodward made a quartet of substitutions, sending on Sale Sharks hooker Andy Titterrell for his Test debut, prop Matt Stevens, lock Grewcock and scrum-half Dawson.

All Blacks veteran Andrew Mehrtens also appeared off the bench, and as the game entered its final quarter, New Zealand held a 24-9 advantage.

Hodgson’s fourth penalty reduced the arrears to 12 points as England kept going, with the substitutions serving their purpose by giving them fresh momentum.

Rokocoko completed his hat-trick with 10 minutes to go, catching Spencer’s kick and touching down with England’s defence at sixes and sevens. Carter converted to make it 31-12.

New Zealand had Holah sin-binned for deliberate offside with eight minutes of normal time remaining, temporarily levelling the player count at 14-14.

England went in search of a consolation try, but Grewcock became involved in a fight with All Blacks hooker Keven Mealamu, prompting a warning to both players by Williams.

New Zealand were now in complete control, and fly-half Carlos Spencer weaved his way through for the All Blacks’ fifth try, Mehrtens missing the conversion.

England had given it everything in adversity, yet they will head to Brisbane tomorrow and next week’s World Cup final rematch with Australia in pieces - mentally and physically.