Jeremy Guscott’s verdict: Referee Nigel Owens let All Blacks off hook with his card calls

Chris Robshaw and his troops will be mightily disappointed at this defeat which speaks volumes as nobody gave them a chance heading into the match. They did themselves proud and should take great confidence going into next week’s Test in Dunedin.
It was a compelling game and swung the Kiwis’ way only because of Marland Yarde’s yellow card late in the second half.  Next week Stuart Lancaster will have his Six Nations heavyweights at his disposal, and with Billy Vunipola, Tom Wood, Courtney Lawes and Dylan Hartley to come into the pack, and Danny Care, Owen Farrell and Luther Burrell available behind it, England are in a strong position to build on this performnace.
Referee Nigel Owens has been called the No.1 referee in the world for some time and has deserved the plaudits – but yesterday he did England no favours. There’s no doubt Yarde deserved his yellow, but it was England’s first big offence of the match whereas the Kiwis should have had three players yellow carded prior to the Yarde sin-binning.
All players, coaches and fans ask for is consistency but there was very little yesterday.
Ma’a Nonu’s early pull-back on James Haskell was deliberate, and regardless of when it happened in the match, deserved a yellow. Dane Coles should have been yellow carded for flopping on Robshaw and Malakai Fekitoa should have received the same treatment for not releasing Jonny May. Three clear yellow cards, yet none were delivered while Yarde’s yellow was the defining moment of the game.
Despite the negative, cynical play from the All Blacks, England were very good in all departments.
During the week we had heard how the All Blacks were looking to make a big statement against a weakend England pack but it just wasn’t the case.
England’s forwards dominated the set-piece and everyone stepped up to the challenge – none more so than Ben Morgan who carried effectively, broke tackles and made a lot of yards.

Manu Tuilagi signalled his return to England’s centres with another phenomenal performance – he can do no wrong against the All Blacks. The number of metres he gained was outstanding and he combined effectively with Kyle Eastmond. The new centre partnership wasn’t punished in any way and they kept Nonu and Conrad Smith at bay.
Eastmond thoroughly impressed me for his first start against the world’s premier centre combination. His break through the middle with a little step off his left foot was scintilating –  although the execution of the pass wasn’t quite up to standard. But he looked like he belonged in international rugby and Lancaster knows he can trust him to come in and do a good job.
I was worried Freddie Burns might not be ready to play this type of intense rugby when his form throughout the season had been so average.
But he mixed up his game superbly, knowing when to kick, pass or break himself, and his goal-kicking was 100 per cent. There wasn’t a lot more Lancaster could have asked for given the number of enforced changes, but he’ll know there are definite areas to work on this week if they are to take it to a third Test decider.
First, being hyper-critical, England lacked composure at critical times and the moments of naivety proved costly.
The penalty they gave away before half time epitomised this – the ball should have been cleared out of their half three or four phases earlier and when Joe Launchbury watches it again he’ll know he could have given a pass left rather than letting himself get hit and turned over. The exit strategy is in place for a reason – use it! That was naïve but up until that point, England looked very comfortable.
The three occasions that the Kiwis could have been yellow carded were all clear scoring opportunities that must be converted. Whereas New Zealand exhibited the composure of world champions in the final minutes for Conrad Smith to score, England need to work out how to finish.

They have an incredibly well structured defence and they have good attacking moves they can call off set-piece. But what they must work on now is the instinct of when to pass, when to crash over and when to look for the space.
We’ve seen it before in games against New Zealand where they have found that something extra in the red zone – particularly in 2012 at Twickenham. With the chances England created yesterday they could and should have won this game. New Zealand will not make as many errors next week and England must discover that same ruthlessness to expolit every half-chance.
To take New Zealand to the brink, away from home in the fortress of Eden Park with so many changes, is a major credit to this team. Selection-wise Lancaster has not put a foot wrong in his time in charge and I back him to make the right decisons next week. Burns could have been a big mistake after a dreadful season but Lancaster obviously knows his players.
For Dunedin, I think Lancaster will go with his number one side which, injury permitting, will be the one that finished the Six Nations.
Danny Care will start if fit, alongside Owen Farrell, and it’s hard to believe that Luther Burrell will be left out of an England side after his explosive Six Nations, despite Eastmond’s fine showing. Likewise Courtney Lawes, Billy Vunipola, Tom Wood, and Dylan Hartley.
These guys haven’t been dropped so I think they deserve a chance next week.
The key to victory next week is imporiving the defensive line speed while maintaining their same high tackle rate of around the 90 percent mark, containing the Kiwis and forcing errors.
Rather than rushing up and smashing the Kiwis, England were guilty on occasion of coming up slowly and being caught narrow rather than knocking them backwards as they were doing to teams during the Six Nations.
Sides like the All Blacks that are incredibly efficient do not worry about possession – they worry about opportunities taken and they rely on applying pressure and forcing the opposition into making mistakes – and England must adopt that same mindset.
I expect another close game next week; New Zealand are always favourites at home but I expect England to push them close and they will believe they have every chance of winning – and rightly so after that performance.