England 22-24 New Zealand: All Blacks edge thriller in dramatic Twickenham finale

George Ford's last-gasp missed drop goal condemned England to yet another defeat at the hands of New Zealand as the All Blacks claimed a thrilling 24-22 victory at Allianz Stadium.

After Joe Marler's comments dominated the pre-match build-up, England accepted the challenge of the New Zealand haka, stepping up to the halfway line in an emotionally-charged exchange between the sides in front of a baying Twickenham crowd.

The first half belonged to the All Blacks, with only four penalties from the boot of Marcus Smith keeping England in contention after tries from Mark Tele'a and Will Jordan.

• England 22-24 New Zealand - as it happened
• Sky Sports to show 2025 Lions tour of Australia
• Stream rugby union and more with NOW

Fly-half Smith would spearhead England's second-half fightback, his interception laying the foundations for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso to cross the whitewash before another penalty moved Steve Borthwick's into a 22-14 lead with 20 minutes remaining.

But the pendulum would swing back in New Zealand's favour as a Damien McKenzie penalty moved the All Blacks to within a score of England before Tele'a's brilliant finish in the corner pushed the tourists back into the lead.

England had two bites at ending their 12-year wait for an elusive victory over New Zealand on home soil, but Ford's late penalty hit the post before his drop goal drifted wide in the final act of a pulsating Autumn Nations Series opener.

All Blacks see off England challenge to haka

Marler's comments on the haka were resoundingly rejected by the 82,000-capacity crowd, with a stirring rendition of 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' acting as backing track as England stepped forward to confront the All Blacks' Maori war dance on the halfway line before kick-off.

It super-charged the Twickenham atmosphere and propelled England into winning the early aerial kick duel, with a Smith penalty firing them into the lead.

New Zealand burst to life out of nowhere, the impressive Wallace Sititi drawing two tacklers to the ball before an outrageous off-load out of the back of his hand found winger Tele'a, who had too much pace for covering prop Ellis Genge as he touched down in the corner.

Smith responded immediately with another penalty which kicked England back into gear, with Maro Itoje and Ben Spencer breaking through the All Blacks line in pursuit of their first try.

But New Zealand would pull further clear when Beauden Barrett stretched the England defensive line and intelligently releasing an inside pass to Jordan, who again possessed too much pace for the exposed Genge to deal.

Smith kept England within reach with another two penalties, as New Zealand led 14-12 at the break, and then ignited a stunning second-half turnaround within four minutes of the restart.

The England fly-half intercepted Cortez Ratima's pass, raced clear and showed great awareness to dummy and pass to George Furbank, who shifted the ball on for the pacey Feyi-Waboso to put the seal on a scintillating breakaway try.

Smith looked to have single-handedly shaped England's first win over New Zealand at Twickenham since 2012 when he knocked another penalty over moments after the All Blacks had seen a breakaway Beauden Barrett try ruled out for a deliberate knock-on

But after McKenzie's penalty had moved the All Blacks within range, Tele'a touched down in the corner and the replacement fly-half slotted added the extras with a pressure kick from the touchline, leaving England to rue the two squandered chances that would fall for Ford.

Borthwick bullish

England head coach Steve Borthwick: "If you look at that New Zealand team and you have got to credit to them, 10 players from the World Cup final played there, more than 1,000 caps, they had more caps in their 15 than we had in our 23.

"But this England team led by Jamie really played smart rugby. Unfortunately yes, we didn't get the win we wanted but I think everyone can see this team is developing into a very strong team.

"Ultimately this is the width of the post. That's the reality. It is the width of the post that the result goes one way or the other and that's the nature of Test rugby when you have two good teams. And they were two good teams today."

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Robertson hails All Blacks character

New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson: "I don't think George Ford has ever missed a drop kick in his life, you know. There was probably a bit of emotion in the game.

"We showed a lot of character, stayed in the fight for a long period of time and 15 minutes to go to come from eight down is a pretty special moment for us as a group."

'England agonisingly short - again'

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Sky Sports News reporter James Cole:

"A thrilling encounter at Twickenham but, ultimately, another opportunity missed by England. For a third time in a row, they come up just short against the All Blacks.

"They had opportunities to win it but lacked composure at the death. It's an example of just how close Test match rugby is; these games come down to the finest of margins, just like we saw at last year's World Cup.

"England must learn quickly how to get over the line in these tight contests before it starts to affect them psychologically.

"Nonetheless, a huge number of positives for Steve Borthwick and England, who went toe-to-toe with the All Blacks not only during the game but before it with the haka.

"A statement performance from England but still no statement win."

Player of the match - Wallace Sititi

Winning this award ahead of two-try Mark Tele'a tells you everything you need to know about this imperious performance from a 22-year-old with the rugby world at his feet.

His sensational offload for Tele'a's opening try unpicked England's defence, and whether it was at the breakdown, in the tackle or in open play, his impact on the game grew with a succession of crucial interventions.

Line-ups

England: Furbank; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Lawrence, Freeman; Smith, Spencer; Genge, George (capt), Stuart, Itoje, Martin, Cunningham-South, Curry, Earl.

Replacements: Dan, Baxter, Cole, Isiekwe, Curry, Dombrandt, Randall, Ford.

New Zealand: Jordan; Tele'a, Ioane, J. Barrett, Clarke; B. Barrett, Ratima; Williams, Taylor, Lomax, S. Barrett (capt), Vaa'i, Sititi, Cane, Savea.

Replacements: Aumua, Tu'ungafasi, Tosi, Tuipulotu, Roigard, Lienert-Brown, McKenzie

Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)

What's next?

England's Autumn Nations Series continues against Australia at Allianz Stadium on November 9 (kick-off 3.10pm), while New Zealand face Ireland in Dublin on November 8 (kick-off 8.10pm).

Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.