New Zealand swept away
TOKYO: All Blacks? This Rugby World Cup semifinal was all white.
In Yokohama on Saturday, it took just over a minute for England to breach New Zealand’s rugby citadel. By the end of 80 minutes they had well and truly sacked it.
Eddie Jones’s England players played with breathtaking power and precision to win 197, a result that not only puts them within touching distance of a second World Cup crown, but arguably recalibrates world rugby’s pecking order.
‘‘New Zealand are the gods of rugby, so we had to take it to them and put them on the back foot as much as we could,’’ Jones said.
The All Blacks were battered in possession, taunted by England’s superb handling, and kicked to shreds by George Ford. How they must have wished for the boot of Dan Carter or the Richie McCawness of Richie McCaw.
Instead, almost 69,000 rugby fans witnessed that most rare of sporting sights: an outfought, outplayed and flustered All Blacks team.
‘‘We were beaten by the better team,’’ All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said.
‘‘Take it on the chin. Hard to stomach but this is what happens in sport sometimes. Sometimes sport isn’t fair but tonight it was.’’
With more English territory, possession and set pieces won, the statistics of this clash tell their own tale, but this was about much more than figures and scores and percentages; this was the surgical, forensic demolition of a sporting icon.
Long the byword for rugby invincibility, the All Blacks had been unbeaten in 19 World Cup matches going back to 2007 — 18 wins and a technical draw after their clash with Italy here was cancelled due to a typhoon.
England’s record against the threetimes World Cup winners had offered no real comfort — seven wins from 41 games, none at the World Cup and only one victory, in 2012, in their last 16 clashes.
Yet for all the pyrotechnics and theatrics with which organisers heralded this semifinal — thunderous Japanese drumming and flame cannons — little could prepare spectators for what would unfold.
All day this had felt special. There is something about this England squad.
And when they metaphorically embraced the famous haka with a Vshape formation of their own before kickoff, rejecting absolutely the intimidation many nations feel at the sight of the traditional challenge, all bets were off.
‘‘We knew we had to be in a radius,’’ skipper Owen Farrell said. ‘‘We wanted to not stand there and have them come at us. We wanted to have a respectful distance but we didn’t want to be just a flat line and have them come at us.’’
Other teams have confronted the haka in novel ways before, but most of them have gone on to lose.
Not this England side, though, and with less than 100 seconds on the clock, a magnificent flurry of passing ended in centre Manu Tuilagi punching through the All Blacks’ defence from close range for a try.
Dominant England wasted a handful of chances, but added to its score just before the break through a George Ford penalty.
The All Blacks’ reputation as one of the greatest teams in any sport has been hard won, however, and it was perhaps inevitable England would be made to pay for some wasted chances.
Sure enough, just before the hour, flanker Ardie Savea nipped in to touch down when England’s otherwise impressive lineout was caught dozing, and Richie Mo’unga converted. So much for all the play and all the pressure.
Taking over the kicking from a limping Farrell, Ford ended up
slotting four penalties for 12 points while New Zealand failed to add to its tally, and England eased to the finish line.
This All Black performance was ultimately characterised by poor discipline, moments of anger and some hotheaded decisions. Understandable, perhaps. The All Blacks are not used to losing.
But there was nothing even their inventive play could do to prevent being smothered by England’s white blanket.
For the All Blacks it will be time for reflection and rebuilding, while England reaches its fourth World Cup final and the first since 2007.
It will be seeking its second victory after 2003, when it became the first, and to date only, northern hemisphere country to claim rugby’s biggest prize. — Reuters