ENGLAND THRASH NZ 38-21!

[Quickfire]

[gung-hoeddie]

About bloody time!

[Quickfire]

Indeed, hallelujah!

[gung-hoeddie]

The thing about it is we were all over them start to finish, awesome.

[Shaunyboy]

So much for avoiding knowing the score until I watch the match later?! Spoilers on BFTB now too!?!?!, Nowhere is safe! I'm going to have to subject myself to a complete media blackout from now on! I'm chuffed though. Well done to the lads

[Chopper]

Same here, Shaun. Loosing to England is like loosing to the Otago Dairy farmers under 12 girls team. Three teams never to lose against, the Bok's, France and England. Anything else is acceptable. Maybe after 20 games on the trot without loss the AB's just needed a rest?

Besides, all the AB's supporters were in bed, woke up to a nightmare.

[Chopper]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/ar ... d=10851424

Here you go, Ritchies take on it.

[Quickfire]

To follow on from Senor Gung-Hoeddie's point

The unbeaten record has gone. The season has ended in stunningly bad fashion with England bursting into astonishing life at Twickenham to not only beat the All Blacks - but to beat them well and to beat them playing inspired rugby.

England looked a lot more like the All Blacks than New Zealand did. They were smart, they were committed and they were creative. And on top of that they were relentlessly physical. They won because they deserved it - ran the All Blacks off their feet in the end after blasting them off in the first half. New Zealand didn't have a lot of answers - it's been a long season for sure but they were in London to win and didn't stand a chance, not because of fatigue but because they weren't allowed to play the game they wanted.

They weren't really allowed to play any game as England controlled things for most of the game bar the first 10 minutes of the second half when the All Blacks scored two tries and gave the impression they were going to storm home at a canter.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/ar ... d=10851411

England were smart on the kicking as well, knowing how dangerous NZ are after turnovers etc., so that must have helped a bit, along with the massive defence and attack with a bit of decent risk-taking etc. It was a bit of a case of 'put your enemy in a position where he cannot do -or even communicate- what he wants to do'. Massive. NZ fightback was still aggressive tho'.

[Chopper]

Risk taking is the key to beating NZ. If you play it safe and keep to structured play it'll be the end of you.

If you deny the ball to NZ, you are in with a chance. Mind you, it only takes 30 seconds for that to fall apart, as you mention. So they cast off the shackles of the old whinging fraternity and it paid off. The AB's started putting in as much young blood as they could, 5 or so years ago. That's what made the difference. We have 3 world class 5 eights and as many for every other position too. This is why the Aussies are struggling, not enough new blood, and too late for what they have.

Better give my Welsh mate a call............

[Quickfire]

Yeah NZ's strength in depth is excellent, the whole national system paying off, can never be written off and always ready to counter-attack after turnovers.

Still, was great to see the England backs really getting stuck in with some self-belief.

Indeed, hard time for the Welsh at the moment, especially after the RWC glory.