Tops
A cannon ball end to the match
What an end to the match from the XV de la Rose!
Abused for most of the game, especially in the conquest sector, the XV of the Rose suddenly found the key in the defense of the Blacks to snatch the draw (25-25).
Trailing 25-6 in the 71st minute, they scored three tries in eight minutes, relaunching by hand from their camp.
The victory could even have gone to them... (see below).
The All Blacks, 70 minutes of high level
The final result of the encounter will surely leave a bitter taste for the three-time world champions.
But their first half was of a consistency rarely seen since their failure in the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup, against the same English.
The intensity put into collisions, and the power displayed in conquest, bodes well for the continuity of a successful autumn tour (3 wins, 1 draw) less than a year from the World Cup in France.
flops
The incomprehensible choice of Marcus Smith
Why ?
But why did the young Marcus Smith, a formidable striker, choose to hit the sidelines when his team had the winning ball in their hands and the turn of the match was clearly in favor of his team?
The whimsical flyhalf, at the origin of the revolt of his team with the first try of Stuart (72nd), finally considered that the draw was not a bad result in view of the unexpected comeback of his team .
A choice that is likely to be debated across the Channel in the days to come.
Farrell, the half-hearted centenary
Owen Farrell celebrated his hundredth selection this Saturday evening, and joined the closed club made up of Justin Leonard (114) and Ben Youngs (119) for the XV of England.
But visibly diminished after half an hour of play, the Saracens player left responsibility for the goal to Marcus Smith and had little influence in the current game.
Van Poortvliet suffocated by pressure
Authors of convincing comebacks, the young scrum-half had a nightmarish afternoon for his second tenure in a row.
His soft pass was intercepted by Abraham Papali'i who opened the scoring against (5th).
He was chastised by Ardie Savea, losing the ball.
Some playing time later, Rieko Ioane scored his third try, finally refused on video (17th).
He weighed little on the game, and his replacement by Ben Youngs gave a new boost to his teammates.
