‘All Blacks supporters probably got so used to winning… times have changed’

Former Wallabies winger Drew Mitchell has suggested there may be a difference between the expectations of All Blacks supporters and the reality of the international game, after New Zealand suffered a 33-19 defeat to England in London.

Aaron Cruden famously kicked a second-attempt conversion to sink Ireland 12 years ago, which saw the All Blacks complete an undefeated season in the professional era. New Zealand had won the Rugby World Cup two years earlier and went back-to-back at the 2015 tournament.

With all-time greats like Richie McCaw and Dan Carter leading the way, the All Blacks dominated international rugby for a decade. New Zealand held top spot on the world rankings for 10 years from 2009 to before the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

England brought an end to New Zealand’s reign as World Cup champions at that tournament, before South Africa won the final. The Springboks have since become the second team to successfully defend their world title, beating the All Blacks in the 2023 decider.

Two years later, the All Blacks have lost three matches in 2025 so far, with England clawing their way back from an early deficit to emerge victorious last Saturday.

“I think for so long All Blacks supporters probably got so used to winning and winning convincingly and times have changed,” Mitchell said on the KOKO Show, as seen on RugbyPass TV.

“The landscape of World Rugby at the moment, up there in the top six, eight in the world, people are beating each other quite regularly.

“It’s not as dominant and maybe the expectations are still the same but the reality is different.”

New Zealand started their international campaign with a three-nil series sweep against France on home soil, before beating Argentina away from home. Los Pumas bounced back in the second meeting between the two sides, handing the All Blacks their first defeat of the year.

The All Blacks kept the winning streak at Eden Park alive with a seven-point win against the Springboks in September, before losing to their fierce rival by a record 43-10 margin the following weekend at Wellington’s Sky Stadium.

Scott Robertson’s men have since retained the Bledisloe Cup with two wins over the Wallabies, beaten Ireland 26-13 in Chicago, and got the job done against Scotland at Murrayfield – Damian McKenzie proving the difference off the bench.

Leicester Fainga’anuku and Codie Taylor scored early tries for the All Blacks against England at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium, before the home side fought their way back into the contest. Fly-half George Ford converted two drop goals just before the break to make it a one-point game.

Taylor was shown a yellow card early in the second term, and England made the most of their one-man advantage, with Sam Underhill crashing over for a score. Inside centre Fraser Dingwall sliced through New Zealand’s defensive line soon after before the visitors hit back.

Will Jordan scored a try with about 15 minutes left to play, but a clutch penalty from Ford deep into the contest all but sealed the win. Tom Roebuck had the last try-scoring say, pouncing on a loose ball that was toed ahead by Henry Pollock.

“It’s one game. They’ve just beaten Scotland before,” former Wallabies playmaker Matt Giteau added.

“It was uncharacteristic that they got out to a lead and then got chased down. Usually it’s them chasing down. Some teams will start red-hot against them and then they’ll just grind them down and win that way.

“Maybe England deserve more credit. They just totally shut them down and they’re playing well.”