New Zealand failed to unleash their customary brand of organised firepower on a never-say-die English Rugby Partnership side at Ashton Gate in Bristol last night.
In fact, if England's brave band of Test hopefuls had supplemented their buckets of perspiration with a touch of inspiration at crucial moments, the All Blacks' midweek side might have finished with egg on their grim countenances.
As it was, a pushover try by Aaron Hopa nine minutes from time gave the tourists muchneeded daylight when it seemed England were poised to achieve a momentous result. Earlier Martyn Wood's short-range try opened up an 11-7 lead before Carlos Spencer, the New Zealand goal kicker, got his side back on track with a couple of important long-range penalty goals.
From the kick-off England wasted no time in pushing the tourists deep inside their own half with a series of sustained drives that drew crunching tackles from Mark Carter and the New Zealanders' captain Todd Blackadder. Despite almost 10 minutes of pressure, though, England were unable to get points on the board, Tim Stimpson flighting a difficult 35-metre penalty well wide.
Predictably and clinically, the All Blacks took the lead with their first long-range attack. Glen Osborne carried on a splendid build-up with a side-step inside Stimpson before unloading to Spencer, who coasted home for a try in the left corner, which he then converted.
England, urged on by their combative captain Tim Rodber, refused to concede a centimetre of territory without every defender putting his body on the line. So committed in the tackle were Chris Sheasby, Dave Sims and the young Sale open-side Patrick Sanderson that England hustled their opponents into infringements that allowed Stimpson to hammer home penalties from 25 metres and 50 metres.
Blackadder, who might be in the side to play Wales which New Zealand name today, was consistently influential in the loose and Hopa embellished his first appearance of the tour with intelligent work in broken play.
But the momentum of both sides suffered from a succession of injury stoppages. In the 10 minutes before half-time, however, the All Blacks managed to get their centres Jeremy Stanley and Scott McLeod meaningfully in volved on the edge of the English 22. Stout defending, however, continued to frustrate the tourists' best-laid plans, notably when they all but plundered a pushover try in the right corner.
A minute before the break a scything midfield run by John Bentley looked likely to produce a try but the All Blacks got men behind the ball in numbers and the England wing's effort came to nothing.
Richard Butland, the transfer-listed Bath out-half, was then wide of the mark with a speculative drop goal from 30 metres.
Shortly after Matt Allen had made a marvellous try-saving tackle on Tana Umaga, England took the lead with a fine opportunist try by Wood in the left corner. When the English forwards drove 15 metres down the touchline and set up a ruck on the New Zealand line the Wasps scrum-half picked up smartly and dashed through to make the touchdown before the tourists scented the danger.
No one could fault the extraordinary tenacity of Rodber's men, who significantly raised the tempo in the third quarter, often getting three or four runners into close support of the ball carrier. However, Spencer cut the lead to one point with a towering 38-metre penalty after England were whistled up for hands in the ruck.
On the hour the New Zealanders made an important throw of the dice, substituting their hooker Anton Oliver with Sean Fitzpatrick, who made his first appearance of the tour despite a niggling knee injury.
Within five minutes of Fitzpatrick's arrival, Spencer had stroked a monster penalty from halfway, before Hopa killed off the game with a close-range effort nine minutes from time.
New Zealand coach John Hart was mightily relieved to emerge unbeaten. However, he refused to speculate on whether Fitzpatrick will come into contention for Saturday's Test against Wales.
