Ref passed buck on disallowed try

But All Blacks did well to bounce back from early 15-point deficit

Let’s not wait another four years to witness that again. Before the arguments begin, first appreciate and acknowledge what a magnificent test this was; a classic from start to finish.

Now we can discuss the defining moment. South African TMO Marius Jonker is unlikely to be welcomed back to Twickenham after ruling replacement English forward Courtney Lawes was offside when he charged down TJ Perenara’s attempted box kick which saw flanker Sam Underhill score what looked the winning try with five minutes to play.

One point the difference in the end, England will be devastated.

The main point about Jonker’s late call is, under the new protocols, referee Jerome Garces is supposed to make the decision, yet he instead passed the buck to his TMO.

Expect to hear much more about this. Boos that rang around Twickenham at the final whistle revealed everything about local opinion.

It was a marginal call, no doubt, but the right one. Lawes looked a foot offside after getting his timing slightly wrong. Regardless, the All Blacks still had to survive relentless pressure in the final minutes to capture a tense, treasured win.

It’s not every day the All Blacks find themselves 15-0 down and under siege in front of 82,000 screaming, singing locals. But with overthrown lineouts, dropped balls, loose carries and wild passes, little went right for them early. It was an awful first quarter, one mentally weaker teams would not have recovered from.

The All Blacks, not at their best, were courageous to come back but also had more than their share of fortune at the death.

Half an hour before kickoff, the heavens opened, giving England the conditions they so craved.

To their credit, at times England gave the ball air — once even in their 22. Their kicking and mauling — one 13-man shove bringing their second try — set the tone but they weren’t afraid to have a crack.

Ben Smith and Brodie Retallick were superb but, in many ways, Damian McKenzie summed up the challenging contest for the All Blacks, one they don’t encounter often.

Not perfect by any stretch, McKenzie shook off errors to have some influential moments. The diminutive fullback was targeted. He dropped one attacking bomb and sliced a kick out on the full, but defensively, hardly put a foot wrong.

He was supremely brave under a high ball peppering, knowing full well as soon as his feet hit the ground, a much larger man was waiting to flatten him. And flatten him, England did several times.

Not everything he tried came off, but he kept coming. He was quite brilliant on one occasion, turning to regather a kick in behind, stepping three players to ease pressure.

And after a long, patient build-up from the pack, McKenzie hit the perfect inside line off Beauden Barrett to claim New Zealand’s first try just before the break; this a classic example of the dual playmaker tactic the All Blacks feel this combination gives them.

On the face of it, with rain pelting down throughout, this was not McKenzie’s kind of day. Give him a dry track and he loves to cut loose. This performance offered a different side to that persona, perhaps proving he is maturing into a much more rounded talent.

McKenzie was at it again right after halftime, coming in at first-five and putting the foot down after spotting a hole. His offload to Ben Smith, in the grasp of two tacklers, was a thing of beauty and should’ve resulted in a try but for Aaron Smith and Ardie Savea failing to click. Overall, he did enough to deserve another crack against Ireland on Sunday.

Ryan Crotty also stood tall on the big stage. Relegated to the bench to make way for Crusaders teammate Jack Goodhue, Crotty made a huge impact after replacing the injured Sonny Bill Williams in the 31st minute.

Such an assured presence, Crotty regularly popped up at first receiver and directed play elsewhere. He carried and defended well, and brought out the best in Goodhue.

This was a timely reminder of his value — the kind of effort which suggested maybe he and Goodhue are New Zealand’s best midfield combo.

We should note, too, Barrett’s kicking performance. So much is made of Barrett’s bad days off the tee but yesterday he hit a dropped goal and his clutch penalty with 20 minutes left gave the All Blacks the lead for the first time.

The final point must be made on England. Missing a host of frontline players, they surged out of the gate and surpassed the expectations of many.

Put the Vunipola brothers, Mako and Billy, and Manu Tuilagi back in this team, and they could be a genuine World Cup threat next year.