England facing the All Blacks: A history lesson in how to defy the odds. With a mere eight victories in 46 attempts spanning 120 years, any England win against New Zealand is a seismic event. But can Steve Borthwick’s squad pull off what seems almost impossible?
Borthwick himself predicts “pain and suffering” are the price this England team must pay to become only the ninth to conquer the All Blacks – a feat last achieved six years ago. Before the exhilarating 38-21 victory of 2012 and the gritty 19-7 triumph of 2019, England's average victory margin against the Kiwis was just four points. It's a testament to how hard-fought and rare these wins truly are. And surprisingly, many of these historic moments share a common thread: a touch of royalty.
Obolensky’s Dazzling Debut: 1936
Imagine a world where rugby headlines shared space with news of global conflict. That's precisely what happened on January 5, 1936. The Sunday Times that day sandwiched President Roosevelt's war material export restrictions alongside the triumphant headline: "England’s Great Victory!"
Inside, DR (Dai) Gent – a Welshman with five England caps from the early 1900s – painted a vivid picture of a Twickenham crowd erupting like never before. "At last England have done it, and, my word! When they did it they did it well," he wrote, capturing the sheer elation of witnessing England's first-ever victory over New Zealand.
The Prince of Wales, Edward (soon to be King), graced the stands alongside Egyptian royalty. But it was a Russian prince who truly stole the show.
Prince Alexander Sergeevich Obolensky, a naturalized Briton who had fled the Bolsheviks, lit up Twickenham with two stunning tries on his debut in a 13-0 victory. The headlines screamed: "England Make History by Amazing Win; All Blacks Pointless – Baffled by Bewildering Speed; Obolensky’s Glorious Dashes!"
Obolensky's mesmerizing runs, cutting inside and swerving past defenders, left the crowd spellbound. One of his tries was immediately hailed as one of England's greatest, a fitting tribute for a prince. And this is the part most people miss... it marked the first time in 33 years of Test matches that New Zealand failed to score.
70,000 fans witnessed history that day. Little did they know, it would take another 37 years for England to repeat the feat.
The Magic of Threes: 1973, 1983, 1993
They say good things come in threes, and England's pre-professional era wins against New Zealand certainly fit the bill – 1973, 1983, and 1993. But these victories weren't built on flashy plays or intricate strategies. They were forged in the fires of brutality, fueled by relentless kicking, and celebrated with... well, plenty of drinking.
John Pullin, the captain of the 1973 England side, famously quipped that his team “may not be very good, but at least we turn up” when facing Ireland amidst the Troubles. Irony aside, that same team achieved England's only ever win at Eden Park.
Leading up to the test, England had a mixed tour, beating Fiji 13-12 but losing to Taranaki, Canterbury, and Wellington. The prop Fran Cotton recalls, “New Zealand had only lost in Auckland four times since the 1920s, so all the talk was, ‘These guys are no good, it’ll be a walkover for the All Blacks.’ Whether they were complacent, who knows.”
But here's where it gets controversial... Cotton emphasizes that the English pack's ferocity won the day. “You’ve got to match New Zealand physically, and tie them into a game they don’t want to play,” he explains. “Unless you win those battles at the scrum, breakdown, you’ve got no chance.”
Behind a formidable pack including Brian “Stack” Stevens, Cotton, Pullin, Chris Ralston, Roger Uttley, John Watkins, Tony Neary, and Andy Ripley, scrum-half Jan Webster delivered a masterclass in a 16-10 victory.
Terry McLean, writing in The Sunday Times, declared he could “recall no scrum half who has played a Test with greater skill, more discipline, fury and finer courage.” High praise indeed, especially considering Gareth Edwards was the undisputed king of scrum-halves at the time.
The celebrations were legendary. “We didn’t go to bed,” Cotton recounts. “We caught the plane at 11am the following morning to London, via Beirut, and had come straight from partying to the plane. Sandy Sanders, the tour manager, in his post-match speech said: ‘We’ve just plucked the crown jewels of rugby.’ To win in New Zealand was unheard of, and England have only done it once since.”
The 1983 win followed a similar script: a relentless, physical battle. The New Zealanders had toured England and Scotland, beating numerous regional teams, but the Midlands team stunned them at Welford Road, 19-13.
Nick Youngs, who remarkably beat the All Blacks twice in ten days (once for the Midlands, once for England), recalls, “If we’d played them 50 more times we’d have lost every time.”
Youngs remembers the Midlands game being played under lights, a novelty for the New Zealanders, and the desperate defense in the closing moments. Training was sparse: two rugby sessions and a Wednesday run before the Test. “The selectors would write saying, ‘Congratulations, you have been selected for England. Meet at the Petersham Hotel in Richmond at this time. The RFU will supply an England shirt and a pair of socks, but please bring your own white shorts,’” Youngs reminisces.
At Twickenham, Dusty Hare's kicking proved decisive in the 15-9 victory. “The rucking was ferocious,” Youngs remembers. The English pack, featuring Peter Wheeler, Maurice Colclough, Steve Bainbridge, and Peter Winterbottom (all scarred by a 4-0 series loss to the Lions in New Zealand that summer), were hungry for revenge.
“The game must have been like watching paint dry,” Youngs jokes. “I was watching an old Top of the Pops the other day and Pan’s People were on it. By today’s standards, they were crap. That must be like watching our games from the Eighties compared to now.”
New Zealand's defeat marked their first loss in Britain since 1953, ending an unbeaten streak of 23 games. Wheeler declared, “We have finally laid the ghost of Prince Obolensky. Because a blue blood scored tries all those years ago, and in view of the French connection of our tryscorer, we want him renamed the Marquis de Colclough.”
David Hands, writing in The Times, proclaimed a “Dawn of the English Reformation.” But this was premature, as ten more years would pass before another victory.
Kyran Bracken, reflecting on his triumphant debut in 1993, recalls, “Rugby then was not a very safe game. Players were not picked for their skill level, but for their brutality and violence.” He was protected by a pack of “English mongrels and giants.”
Brian Moore led the charge at hooker, with Victor Ubogu leaving his mark (literally) in every ruck. Martin Johnson, Nigel Redman, Ben Clarke, Tim Rodber, and Dean Richards (all towering over 6ft 3in) completed the imposing forward unit.
“Every ruck was like the forwards were inflicting GBH,” Bracken says. “I felt very well protected.” Until Jamie Joseph got hold of him. The Kiwi flanker stamped on Bracken's boot, crushing his ankle ligaments.
“It was part of the game,” Bracken says matter-of-factly. “We would do it too. You would put a circle around the name of a debutant and would kick the living shit out of them. After I passed he stood on my ankle, his studs went into my boot and ripped a few ligaments. Everything squashed, and I was in agony. It was definitely intentional. There were only two camera angles, so if they didn’t see it, that was it. You only came off if you were semi-dead, though. I saw Matt Dawson warming up, and thought there was no way I would let him on.
