England Beats New Zealand On Last-Minute Try
Terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora — Leagros Group, ca. 510 BCE
What Happened
England's Red Roses beat New Zealand 26-19 at Allianz Stadium on Saturday, with flyhalf Zoe Harrison intercepting a pass and racing over for the winning try in the 82nd minute. The win extended England's unbeaten run to 41 tests, a week after Canada snapped their 39-match streak with a draw.
Why It Matters
Two of the closest calls of England's unbeaten run have landed back to back — a draw with Canada, then a one-score escape against New Zealand, one of the world's top two ranked teams. Mitchell called it exactly what it was: practice at winning ugly. A streak this long stops being about talent and starts being about whether a team remembers how to survive a match it isn't dominating.
What's Next
England travels to Canada next for the final two tests of their three-match series, in Toronto and Ottawa.