England player ratings: Manny Feyi-Waboso impresses but Ellis Genge struggles in New Zealand heartbreaker at Twickenham
ENGLAND fell just short against New Zealand in a heartbreaking Autumn International.
Steve Borthwick‘s men looked to be on their way to a famous victory as they took a 22-10 lead in the second half at Twickenham.
England were narrowly beaten by the All Blacks in a fantastic Test match at Twickenham[/caption]
Manny Feyi-Waboso scored yet again for the Red Rose[/caption]
But a late try from New Zealand winger Mark Tele’a broke England’s hearts[/caption]
But Mark Tele’a’s second try late in the game turned the tables for New Zealand, with George Ford sending a drop goal wide in the final seconds.
Here are SunSport’s England ratings following a thrilling contest at Twickenham, with the All Blacks eventually running out 24-22 winners.
Ellis Genge – 6
Looked rusty on his return to the team, with the All Blacks taking full advantage.
Caught out for both tries in the first half, with Tele’a torching him in a footrace down the line.
Jamie George – 6
Helped England keep the All Blacks at bay in the first half, but was overshone by a superb performance from his props.
Will Stuart – 8
Gave Tamati Williams a real roasting and put in one of his finest performances in an England shirt.
The Red Rose’s scrum dominance fizzled out when he left the game on 53 minutes.
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Maro Itoje – 7
Some lung-bursting runs in the opening 40 minutes, including one beautiful link-up with Ben Spencer.
Immense down the stretch in the face of constant All Blacks pressure, but lucky to avoid a cynical late yellow for holding onto the ball.
George Martin – 7
Tireless performance alongside CCS, with one hit on Sam Cane prompting a mammoth roar from the Twickenham faithful.
Chandler Cunningham-South – 8
Set the tone for the Red Rose defensively with some monster tackles in the back row. A colossus.
Tom Curry – 7
Made his first start since last year’s World Cup and managed more than an hour despite a dodgy hip.
Worked hard defensively and topped the tackle count when replaced by twin brother Ben.
Ben Earl – 6
Put in a strong shift but was penalised for a late no-arms tackle that handed momentum to the All Blacks.
Chandler Cunningham-South put in an impressive performance[/caption]
Ben Spencer – 7
Named the starting scrum half for the first time in his international career and didn’t look out of place.
Grew into the game and showed glimpses of his class, but the No. 9 shirt still up for grabs.
Marcus Smith – 8
Perfect with his kicking and put in a performance to be proud of, breaking clear to supply Manny Feyi-Waboso’s try.
England fans will be surprised he was taken off just after the hour, with his replacement George Ford missing the crucial penalty late in the game.
Tommy Freeman – 6
Worked hard up against a fearsome All Blacks attacking unit, but was caught out on the overlap for Will Jordan’s try.
Ollie Lawrence – 8
A superb performance from the Bath centre, who matched the forwards in the tackling department throughout the contest.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has a bright future ahead of him[/caption]
Henry Slade – 7
Back for the first time since shoulder surgery – but you’d never have known it. Did the basics well and saw out the full 80.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso – 9
Another sizzling performance from this special talent.
Made it three tries in three Tests against New Zealand and was a constant menace for the All Blacks’ defence. Huge future.
George Furbank – 6
Great assist for Manny’s try, making the correct decision on when to offload, but questions still on his defensive work.
