'Had to rely on our defence': John Mitchell reveals how England beat the Black Ferns

There was a point when it looked like the Red Roses were heading for a second successive draw off the back of their 26-26 draw with Canada last week.

At 19-19, with the clock ticking into the 81st minute, England and New Zealand seemed destined to share the spoils.

That was until Zoe Harrison intercepted a pass and went soaring over the try line to secure a 26-19 victory in front of 59,871 supporters at Allianz Stadium.

It was dramatic, it was chaotic and as John Mitchell admitted afterwards, it wasn’t always pretty.

“It was topsy-turvy,” the Red Roses head coach said. “They threw the kitchen sink at us in the first half, and we gave them too much possession.

“There was a moment in the first half where there was a knock on and it didn’t go back to a scrum and then from that point onwards, it just seemed like New Zealand were owning all of the possession.”

For a coach who had wanted his side to control territory, it was far from ideal at times.

“They’re a very territory-based team. We had our plans to win that territory. We didn’t do that and as a result, we had to rely on our defence,” Mitchell admitted.

That defence, according to the head coach, was the reason England were still in the contest when Harrison produced her last-gasp try.

“The defence was absolutely superb.”

And while Harrison provided the match-winning moment, Maddie Feaunati was at the heart of much of England’s work throughout the afternoon.

The player of the match made herself known from the get-go, bursting through for a 40-metre break, and continued to make her presence felt throughout the contest with 12 carries and 23 tackles.

“She’s so determined and she’s grown enormously,” said Mitchell about Feaunati.

“To come from afar, immerse herself into a culture she knew when she was young and to come into a Red Roses team is not easy for any youngster or new player.

“She’s really blossomed, she’s super quick and she likes to be challenged.

“Maddie wasn’t happy with her performance against Australia on one side of the ball, so we had a little chat about it, and she fixes and learns pretty quickly.”

That willingness to learn is going to be crucial as England continue to develop their squad and expose less experienced players to the highest level.

“You’ve got a teen capper at lock and a three-capper at hooker,” added the Red Roses coach.

“They have to learn against the best and that’s what they’re doing at the moment, which I’m thrilled with.”

Looking ahead to England’s next meeting with their long-standing rivals, Mitchell was also keen to underline just how rare these encounters have become.

“We don’t get this opportunity to play each other enough. We don’t come up against them again until 2028 and they’ll be a better side than they were today.

“New Zealand are in a really great place for the Lions series and they’re heading in the right direction for the World Cup, which is just across the ditch.

“They’re used to those conditions and surfaces. They’re building depth and extremely athletic.

“We had two moments in the second half where I think we had 22 injuries, and we let them off the hook. That’s where we could have finished them off in my view, but that will come,” concluded Mitchell.

For captain Meg Jones, the result was ultimately about how England responded when the Black Ferns pushed them to their limits.

“What an amazing honour to play the Black Ferns. They set down a challenge for us in the beginning, and I feel we responded really well and we accepted that challenge.

“It was an amazing Test match for us and I keep saying we’re playing the top teams now, so you’re just going to get absolutely everything thrown at you, your game is going to get tested in every avenue and today we prevailed and we were able to stay on top,” she added.

“Credit to the girls showing our character today.”

After being pushed all the way by the Black Ferns, England ultimately had the composure to find one final opportunity – and Zoe Harrison made sure they took it.

The Red Roses will now turn their attention to October when they face Canada in a two-Test series before taking on the USA Women’s Eagles.