England player ratings: Marcus Smith shines, George Ford fails miserably: Planet Rugby

After the All Blacks came back 22-24 to win a thriller at Twickenham, here are our player ratings for Steve Borthwick’s England.

England player ratings

15 George Furbank: Maybe a little guilty for coming on early for the All Blacks’ first try, but he was assured otherwise. He has tried to make things happen but has not replicated the fireworks he has shown in the Premiership of late. 5

14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso: Sensationally, the rookie continues to take to Test rugby like a duck to water as he bagged the long-range try that should have won England the game. Elsewhere, he was imperious in the air and beat seven defenders. 8

13 Henry Slade: For all the talk of how important he is to the defensive line, Slade hasn’t produced as we expected. It wasn’t terrible by any means, but it wasn’t a ground-breaking effort. 6

12 Ollie Lawrence: He may not have had the greatest freedom in attack, but the Bath man made a ridiculous 22 tackles as he anchored the midfield for England. What a player he is and will become. 8

11 Tommy Freeman: Not much to say for a player who had a lot to do in Mark Tele’a and failed to make his mark on the game. 5

10 Marcus Smith: Inspired. The pivot really rose in this one, from the way he controlled the game at times to how well he kicked off the tee to that crucial interception that set up a try. Smith magically announced himself as England responsible for that performance and, in hindsight, the decision to replace him just after the hour cost them the game in some ways. 9

9 Ben Spencer: The scrum-half made a few errors here and there but was as fiery as ever with his contestable kicking game blowing hot and cold throughout the game. It still gets the thumbs up from us in a solid output. 6

The All Blacks snatch another late win as George Ford’s errors prove costly for England

8 Ben Earl: As we’ve come to expect from the number eight, he absolutely drained the tank both defensively and offensively, hitting double figures in his numbers on both sides of the ball. He would have earned a higher rating, but his grass-cutting game late proved costly in the result. 7

7 Tom Curry: Another big worker in England’s back row, who looked fairly balanced for the most part. Curry emptied the tank by making 14 tackles and tried to enter the game on the wing with a little less luck. 6

6 Chandler Cunningham-South: It seems that England have found their battering ram. This was clearly personal as Cunningham-South grew up in New Zealand and produced his best performance at Test level. 8

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5 George Martin: As brutal as we’ve come to expect from the second row, who, in his own words, likes to “melt” his opposition. 15 tackles, some neat work in the line-out for the most part in a strong shift. 7

4 Brown Itoje: The second row loves a big game and produced some key plays in the big moments, from his strong early stretches to a key steal in the second period, Itoje was another inspired star tonight. 7

3 Will Stuart: Tighthead had a very strong game as he gave Tamaiti Williams hell. In fact, the difference was clear as the All Blacks began to concede penalties in the scrum after he was substituted. 8

2 Jamie George: Rolls Royce. He makes very few errors and is ultra reliable in his tasks. The England captain wasn’t to blame for much, but at the same time he didn’t set the world on fire. 6

1 Ellis Gang: Solid scrummaging performance, but no typical Genge moments where he explodes through tackles and/or runs into the opposition. 6

Substitutes: To be honest, this is where the game was lost, as the only substitute who really made an impact was Ben Curry. With players on the bench, the men’s side battled and conceded penalties, while George Ford unfortunately had a forgettable cameo with a subpar tackle on Tele’a’s try and a missed drop goal. 3

England match 23rd

England: 15 George Furbank, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 5 George Martin, 4 Brown Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Ellis Genge
Substitutes: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Ben Curry, 21 Alex Dombrandt, 22 Harry Randall, 23 George Ford

Date: Saturday, November 2
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Pierre Brousset (France), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)