England can 'do something special' after All Blacks victory - Danny Care targets World Cup glory as everything Henry Pollock touches 'turns to gold'
By Rhys Jones
Updated 16/11/2025 at 11:44 GMT
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England marked their 10th win in a row with an iconic and uber-impressive victory over New Zealand at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Saturday evening. Steve Borthwick's side were 12-0 down until scoring 25 unanswered points as they produced a brilliant comeback against the All Blacks, steered by a fantastic performance by George Ford and England's forward pack.
Care says England win against New Zealand can 'unlock something in them' against the best teams
Video credit: TNT Sports
England snapped the All Blacks' dream of Grand Slam glory with a comprehensive 33-19 victory at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
It was the 10th win in a row for Steve Borthwick's side, but more importantly, it was a statement win against a team ranked two in the world.
It was a performance that, in the words of TNT Sports pundit Danny Care, may have "unlocked something" in them that proves they can beat the world's best.
"They look like a team who could hopefully go on and do something special," Care said as thousands filtered out of Twickenham.
"Whether that's a Six Nations, or in two years' time there's something The Red Roses have just done again that the men would absolutely love to be a part of and get the big one.
"I'm delighted for the boys because I think, hopefully, it has now unlocked something in them that says 'we now can beat the best teams.'
"We've just heard Alex Mitchell say that. We can beat New Zealand, now it's South Africa. They would love to have a crack at South Africa. You've got to consistently beat the best teams in the world to consider yourself one of the best."
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When it comes to the All Blacks, it begins even before the whistle is blown and boot is put to ball. Scott Robertson's side may not be the indomitable outfit of the past who carried a threatening aura, as they are second best to South Africa.
But they are still the All Blacks, and a victory over them carries weight, especially in Twickenham.
It begins with the Haka, and similarly to England's famous 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-final win in Yokohama, the English responded to it by edging towards half-way in a semicircle.
That only seemed to motivate the All Blacks further and the visitors struck twice quickly to lead by 12.
Ollie Lawrence scored at the other end and some fabulous game management from George Ford saw the fly-half slot two beautiful drop goals to reduce the half-time margin to a single point.
One critique of Borthwick's England is that, in the latter stages, they have faltered. The three meetings against New Zealand in 2024 encapsulated that. In all three, England failed to score a point in the final quarter.
A bench with 317 caps of experience was deployed alongside the trusted starters and, after scoring 25 unanswered points, a penalty and a try in the dying minutes secured a momentous win.
"10 in a row is massive," Care added. "I'm delighted they've won because if they hadn't, all the same questions would have been asked. 'Are they not good enough for the next level?'
"I think they are. It's great momentum now into Argentina, hopefully finish that off four from four. Go into 2026 and have a real shot at this Six Nations."
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England v New Zealand highlights: Borthwick's side claim thrilling comeback win
Video credit: TNT Sports
When much of the bench was emptied at around the 56-minute mark, it produced possibly the biggest cheer of the day as Henry Pollock, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, and Tom Curry stepped on the pitch.
The first of those names, 20-year-old Pollock, perhaps relishes that role more than anyone else, and it seems he does it better than anyone else.
The blonde bombshell made a try-scoring impact when introduced off the bench against Australia, and on Saturday he buzzed around the pitch against the All Blacks, a blur of brightly-dyed hair.
"You only needed to hear this place when he got shown on the big screen with that raft of substitutions to show what everybody thinks about him, how much energy he brings," said Emily Scarratt about the Northampton youngster.
"And at the moment, everything he touches sort of turns to gold a little bit. He seems to attract those moments in games like we saw at the end. For him, let's hope he can ride this wave as long as possible."
'We stuck to our principles' - Underhill
Coming out and striking first in the second half was a huge moment after Ford ended the first half with two sweetly struck drop goals.
Sam Underhill, who started in the 2019 semi-final, crashed through Beauden Barrett in the third minute of the second half to take the lead for the first time.
Until Will Jordan's try 15 minutes from time, the hosts were totally dominant as their plan worked to perfection, and the immensely impressive Underhill was at the centre of it.
"I think we were expecting a fast start, you always do against New Zealand," Underhill told TNT Sports. "The tempo is so high, the first 20 minutes can be a shock sometimes. The pleasing thing for us is we stuck to our plan and didn't get affected by it.
"We spoke at half-time about having a big response, that Q3 coming out and firing. It is easy to look back at games and say we did it, but that was the plan I guess.
"New Zealand are a great team, you almost don't want to big them up too much to something else. We wanted to just go at them with ball in hand. Fordy has been brilliant at driving that all week. That gave us a lot of confidence.
"I think as the game went on, we grew into it. I think, ultimately, you talk about having a plan before a game, but having a plan and sticking to it under pressure is another thing. The pleasing thing for us was how we stuck to our principles and our basics, and can't be happier than with a win."
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'You can barely hear in here' - Underhill says England planned a 'big response' after a tough start
Video credit: TNT Sports
The win showed the progress that has been made in the past 12 months, and Underhill said it demonstrated their "adaptability".
"You've got to have a strength as a team, you've got to have a style as a team," Underhill continued. "I think we're getting there. The other thing is adaptability, and through a squad effort, how adaptable can you be? How pragmatic can you be? If someone goes down injured, can you fill a role?
"You see guys like Curry or Pollock, you've got Pollock and Ben Earl training on the wings and in the centres and to have that depth, that availability as a team is amazing. As a team, we want to be adaptable, and I guess that's where we can improve. But I guess we're in a decent place."
Watch and stream every game of the Quilter Nations Series live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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