GRAND SAM SHOWS THE WAY
Underhill a smash hit to prove England are back on the right road
PUT ASIDE another raging debate over marginal officiating, which overshadowed the climax of this classic Test, and English frustrations were focused on Sam Underhill being denied another entry into Twickenham folklore.
His miracle tackle against Wales during the Six Nations was already in that category, but what Underhill did on Saturday trumped it.
The Bath flanker proved that he is a hit-man with several weapons in his armoury. The way he outmanoeuvred Beauden Barrett on the way to crossing the line probably left the All Black fly-half spinning all the way to the airport yesterday.
Four minutes from time, with England trailing by a point, Underhill seized the ball from Courtney Lawes’ charge-down of a box kick by TJ Perenara and burst forward. What happened next was remarkable. Despite the shattering effect of so many heavy collisions and 76 minutes of hard graft, Underhill had the presence of mind and the footwork to swerve inside, force his opponent to turn, then surge left again and crash through Barrett’s desperate tackle to score.
It was a case of the script being turned upside-down, as well as the reigning world Player of the Year being turned inside- out. It is meant to be the nimble playmaker who torments the heavy defender in such a manner, not the other way round. Of course, the try was swiftly disallowed, leaving the home support incensed and robbing Underhill of an all- time career highlight.
But one team-mate who knows a thing or two about taking tryscoring chances was mightily impressed. Jonny May said: ‘What a finish it was, eh? Fair play to him. It is such a shame for him — that could have gone down in history. It is fine margins.’
It certainly was a shame for Underhill because he was magnificent. His relentless performance typified the English resistance which drove New Zealand to the brink of a shock defeat.
Even after he had come down to earth, as Lawes was adjudged offside, there was still time for one last thunderous carry. His work with the ball was notable because the 22-year-old is more known for his defensive attributes. This time, on the grandest occasion, he stood tall in attack too.
Underhill’s trademark tackling made its mark on the All Blacks. In the first half especially, the world champions were stifled and knocked back whenever they were in possession and he led the onslaught.
Steve Hansen’s side won’t relish facing him again any time soon. Their full back, Damian McKenzie, would surely like to obtain a restraining order in court, to stop Underhill going anywhere near him. He’ll be seeing England’s No 7 in his nightmares.
The over-riding mood within the home squad was that pride will come after this fall, but it might take a while. The immediate reaction was disappointment about a missed chance to claim the most prized scalp of all. Underhill said: ‘It will be a bit of a process. If you lose a game, you are gutted, but in the week we’ll probably be able to take some heart out of what we did.’ They should. Until New Zealand scored 10 points in the minute or so before the break, England had delivered their best half of Eddie Jones’ tenure. They played the atrocious conditions perfectly, with astute decision-making to the fore. They invariably chose correctly when to kick, when to drive and when to go for broke and send the slippery ball wide.
Chris Ashton’s second-minute try was the fairytale moment for a popular figure making his first Test start since 2014 and set the hosts on their way to establishing a commanding lead.
The drive- over try claimed by co-captain Dylan Hartley in the 24th minute put England 15-0 in front and supporters in a state of delirious shock.
Here was a weakened team, patched up but bristling with underdog defiance, dominating the world’s pre-eminent force.
The sheer scale of the casualty list undermining England’s autumn campaign cannot be ignored.
If they could do what they did on Saturday without the Vunipola brothers and Joe Launchbury, Nathan Hughes, Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph and all the other missing men, the glass half-full conclusion is that, at full strength, they can eclipse these revered Kiwis.
But the stark truth is that any leading nation playing at home would expect to ram home their advantage after taking a 15-0 lead.
England had a foot on the throats of the New Zealanders, but couldn’t keep it there.
While there can be public satisfaction at the honourable near-miss, that cannot be the inhouse verdict — and it won’t be.
Even without so many front-line assets, England won’t fall back on that excuse. They know that they repeatedly shot themselves in the foot.
Owen Farrell’s re- start going out on the full in the 40th minute was an uncharacteristic lapse which gifted the All Blacks one last unexpected chance to push for points before half-time. They took it, as they invariably do, to add a crucial penalty.
Later, the home lineout unravelled under pressure as Jamie George was tormented by the leaping, poaching figure of Brodie Retallick.
England also turned down a shot at goal that they should have taken, and the inability to set up a drop goal attempt at the death suggested some scrambled thinking.
So there were glaring gaps in the performance, but they are entitled to draw hope from their ability to smash New Zealand out of their stride.
On this evidence, Hansen’s men could face further trouble in Dublin on Saturday.
And on this evidence, England have much work to do, but they are on the rise again — thanks in large part to hit-man Underhill, who came so close to being a history-maker.