We’re black on track vows Sam Underhill shows his class despite agonising loss
“IF the referee says the grass is pink then the grass is pink,” said Sam Underhill.
As a response to the red carpet being pulled from beneath his feet by one cruel call, it was as honourable as the England flanker’s performance at Twickenham in ‘The Nearly Match’ was exceptional.
The finish that bamboozled Beauden Barrett had been scrubbed, England’s late tilt at a famous win over the All Blacks rendered worthless. But whinge they did not. Not one of them.
“It’s difficult to swallow but you have to and you have to respect the referee. I think that is enormously important,” said Eddie Jones.
“I was proud of our players that they didn’t carry on, on the field. They just got on with it and tried to win the game again. It’s a tribute to their character and how they respect the values of the game.
“It’s really important to keep that – we don’t challenge the referee on decisions, we don’t abuse him after the game. The referee is refereeing a difficult game and it is only getting faster and more difficult. We have to make sure we keep supporting the referees.
“Rugby and cricket – until the Australians did what they did – and golf, are the sports that have really stuck to their values and I think it is important in today’s society that we keep that. The players thought it was a try, but we are happy to follow what the TMO says.”
It cannot have been easy with broken hearts. The players had sat silently in their dressing room after the final whistle pondering just how close they came.
Courtney Lawes had watched the big screen helplessly through the sheeting rain as his chargedown of All Blacks scrum-half TJ Perenara’s kick was replayed umpteen times. “In the moment I thought, ‘I am onside here, I am going to charge it down’,” he said. “But I was deemed offside and therefore I was offside.” Underhill did not even look. “It’s tough to take and it was marginal but that’s the game. In the grand scheme of things, there were quite a lot of fine margins that could have gone either way but we came out on the wrong end of that one and that’s the way it goes.”
Fate had just shown its timeless capacity to even the scores after England’s lucky break against South Africa a week earlier.
But in defeat, England were streets better than in victory against the Boks. This was the England of the early Jones era reborn, better in some respects.
The opening half-hour that produced contrasting tries for Chris Ashton – it is what he does – and Dylan Hartley – it is what he does not do – was a masterclass.
The revival of the driving maul which, with the help of 11 team-mates, shunted Hartley over the line for his third try in 95 Tests was a heartwarming sight for England fans.
Alas, they could not hold on to a 15-0 lead. New Zealand were bold in chasing and delivering a try through Damian McKenzie at the end of the first half, and then smart in picking apart England’s lineout when the injured Hartley was replaced by Jamie George.
When New Zealand narrowed the gap to 15-13 were England right to
have been equally positive in the second half in kicking for the corner rather than going for goal? Former England coach Sir Clive Woodward thought not but Jones stood by his on-field generals.
“We see the game, the players feel the game,” he said. “If they feel there’s an opportunity to crack the opposition, they have to go for it. New Zealand are tough. You can understand why they’re a world champion team. When they’re not at their best, they’re prepared to play differently. They are a wonderful side.” Yet the fact remains his England team outscored them by two tries to one. True, they were helped by the elements that negated some of New Zealand’s strengths but England now know, after their first meeting with the world champions in four years, that they can be beaten. The chase – which had gone into reverse gear – is back on.
“After a game, if you lose you are gutted,” said Underhill. “But I took a lot of confidence out of today, like the team. We will get better. There’s a lot more to come.”