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England could be forced into pre-World Cup coaching reshuffle
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England player ratings vs New Zealand | Quilter Nations Series 2025
By Chris Jones
England player ratings: The impact of coach Lee Blackett on England’s attack was clearly seen in this match with George Ford expertly pulling the tactical strings and Ollie Lawrence showing his power as a ball carrier.
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It was a platform that allowed Fraser Dingwall to deliver a more accomplished performance as the All Blacks were denied the Grand Slam they needed to lift an average season.
England are starting to show their teeth and despite lineout problems, they are a team on the up with plenty of strength in depth and that ‘Pom Squad’ really makes a difference as they helped beat the All Blacks for the first time since 2019.
Here is how the players fared:
15. Freddie Steward – 6
Started well with a kick and catch followed by a flap back that caused problems. Stepped infield and helped create room for the first All Blacks try and then suffered a head injury after 21 minutes that saw him fail his HIA test.
14. Tom Roebuck – 7
His excellence in the air was on show throughout but was part of a first-half defence exposed out wide. Made a brilliant break that led to Ford going over but ruled out for the wing getting into the action too early. Got the final try to round off the win.
13. Ollie Lawrence – 8.5
Early big hit announced his presence and his try was well taken, showing his ability to step off his left foot and why he should be a fixture in the midfield heading into the next World Cup. Great pass to put Dingwall in for a try.
12. Fraser Dingwall – 7
Some nice early touches and linked well with Smith, who seemed to read his passing when he came on. However, the ease at which the opposition caught the defence too narrow was a concern. Got a very good try off the shoulder of Lawrence.
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11. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso – 7
This was another example of why England need to get the ball into his hands as often as possible, but his early break was not helped by the support getting disconnected. Not a big second-half impact.
10. George Ford – 9
Another assured showing from this master tactician, whose two two-half drop-goals showed his game awareness. Passing crisp and he put his runners into the kind of positions to stress the defence. Had a try ruled out.
9. Alex Mitchell – 7
His ability to clear the lines from the base of the breakdown is exceptional and tried his best to fill the space the All Blacks created out wide. Stepped by Taylor for the All Black hooker’s try but he was on an impossible mission. Robbed of a try when held on the line, which Underhill then finished off instead.
1. Fin Baxter – 6
Not the kind of impact he would have wanted in the loose but worked solidly in the scrum to give England a platform. Was part of a lineout lifting unit given a first-half lesson.
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2. Jamie George – 5
Three first-half lineout disasters was a poor return for the experienced hooker, who had more success in the middle of the solid front row at scrum-time, but not his finest performance for his country.
3. Joe Heyes – 6.5
Starting to put together the kind of physical performances to explain why he is so liked by the coaches. Put in some big tackles and didn’t budge against the highly-rated All Blacks pack. Going to get even better.
4. Maro Itoje – 6.5
Unusually quiet first half that saw the game pass him by with the lineout a particular worry. Made his first impact late in the half to steal a ball on the England line and then seemed to pick up his game and became the irritation for the opposition that he loves to be.
5. Alex Coles – 7
The lineout started to work when he upped his game and this was a busy performance from the big man. He may not punch big holes in the defence but he is a confident ball carrier and has a great engine.
6. Guy Pepper – 7
Was in the action from the first whistle and did not look out of place against a very combative All Blacks back row. This will help his development as a real talent at this level.
7. Sam Underhill – 7
Lots of hits that confirmed his excellence in the close-contact work and could have set up a try only to fail to deliver the killer pass under pressure. Never seems to take a backward step and great mentality.
8. Ben Earl – 8.5
This was a classic Earl performance as he took the attack to the opposition and proved he was a real handful with ball in hand, with 20 carries, and a solid defender. You can see why he is so popular with teammates as he is always on hand to help out. The yellow card didn’t detract from his efforts and he even played centre.
Replacements:
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie – 5
Helped turn the screw on the opposition scrum but his lineout mistake — not straight — was sloppy.
17. Ellis Genge – 6.5
Good option after turnover in own 22 to launch a long-range attack. Big impact at scrumtime.
18. Will Stuart – 6.5
Big impact at the first scrum he took part in, helping win a penalty, to show his newfound confidence in his ability.
19. Chandler Cunningham-South – NA
Only on for the final two minutes.
20. Tom Curry – 5
Handling error while in opposition 22 will have annoyed him and not as impactful as normal.
21. Henry Pollock – 7
Made an immediate impact and backed himself to run out of defence. Turnover gave him a chance to prove his worth and hoofed the ball forward for Roebuck to score.
22. Ben Spencer – 6
Came on to get England over the line with his cultured left boot.
23. Marcus Smith – 7
Lots of impacts from Smith after coming on the first half and he seemed to be able to read where the space was before others.
