New Zealand edged past England 16-15 in a thrilling opening Test in Dunedin, marking a victorious start to Scott Robertson’s tenure as head coach. Damian McKenzie played a crucial role, kicking two second-half penalties to overturn England’s advantage after Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s try had given the visitors a five-point lead.
The first half saw both sides level, with Sevu Reece and Ardie Savea scoring for New Zealand, while Maro Itoje’s try, converted by Marcus Smith, kept England in contention. Smith, however, struggled with his kicking accuracy, missing three out of five attempts, including one from close range.
England began the second half with vigor, and Feyi-Waboso’s finish in the corner, following some powerful close-quarters work, raised hopes of ending their 21-year winless streak in New Zealand. McKenzie, though, rebounded from two missed conversion attempts in the first half to score six points, securing the All Blacks’ victory in their first game since the World Cup final defeat by South Africa.
McKenzie had a chance to extend New Zealand’s lead further but was timed out of taking another penalty due to the shot clock. England will seek to avenge their narrow defeat in the final Test of the two-game series in Auckland next Saturday.
