England’s Fly-Half Marcus Smith Shines Despite Kicking Woes in Narrow Loss to All Blacks
On a tightly-contested clash at Eden Park, England’s fly-half Marcus Smith showcased his game-changing abilities, though his kicking accuracy came under scrutiny. Despite missing three of his five goal attempts, England head coach Steve Borthwick staunchly defended his young playmaker, describing him as ‘magic’ and emphasizing that “everyone makes mistakes.”
“In the changing-room, you could sense from all the players a feeling of disappointment, because we set out to win,” Borthwick shared after England’s narrow 16-15 defeat against the All Blacks on July 6th, 2024. “There was pride in the effort, but also frustration. Marcus produced some moments of magic out there today. We can talk about mistakes, but everyone makes mistakes and Marcus also produced magic on that pitch.”
While the margin of victory was slim, with both sides scoring two tries apiece, England captain Jamie George acknowledged the missed opportunity to make history by becoming the first English team in 21 years to defeat the All Blacks on New Zealand soil.
“Of course it was. We came here to win and do something that no English team have done for 21 years,” said George.
The physical nature of the encounter also took its toll, as prop Joe Marler was forced off the field with a foot injury in the first half. Borthwick confirmed that Marler would undergo further scans and x-rays to determine the extent of the issue, with his availability for the series finale in Auckland next week now in doubt.
Despite the disappointment, All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson expressed relief at securing the narrow victory in his first game at the helm, stating, “We had pride in the jersey and we found a way to win. We will be better for this.”
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