Marcus Smith could have proven he is a Test-match animal, but missed kicks let England down

This was Marcus Smith’s opportunity to make history by becoming only the third English fly-half to secure a victory away in New Zealand and prove himself a Test match animal.

It came. It went. Victory slipped from England’s grasp. So, too, Smith’s chance to etch his name alongside icons Alan Old and Jonny Wilkinson.

There are myriad reasons why England failed to squeeze past New Zealand at the Forsyth Barr Stadium, from the disintegration of the scrum to their second-half discipline or Beauden Barrett helping the All Blacks win the second-half kicking battle. Yet the most glaring were the eight missed points by Smith from the tee. One was a touchline conversion, two more eminently kickable penalties more or less in front of the posts. At the time, each miss felt significant in a match both head coaches independently described as an “arm wrestle”. Smith’s grimace after pulling his last effort told its own story.

Every goalkicker will have an off day, it is just a case of when. England’s victories in New Zealand come about once every generation. Here the stars aligned perfectly, from the All Blacks being in transition under Scott Robertson to England arriving with decent momentum and continuity from the Six Nations. This was simply not an occasion when England could afford Smith to be inaccurate from the tee.

It is more the pity because he played beautifully with ball in hand, engineering England’s second try. First he used a double pump to get Chandler Cunningham-South rumbling over the gain line. Then, with England close to the try-line, he expertly angled his run to get the last All Black defender to bite in before giving a scoring pass to Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. There were some other lovely flashes, which there always are with Smith.

It might be harsh, particularly as Damian McKenzie left seven points off the tee including the timed-out penalty, but does Smith want to be considered beautiful and lovely or a dead-eyed killer who delivers in the clutch moments?

It is the same for this England team as a whole. Do they want to be judged as the nearly men, always progressing and for whom this was a brave and worthy defeat? Or do they want to be seen as an elite team for whom committing so many errors is inexcusable?

Smith was far from alone in this category. Ben Earl whiffed badly on a tackle on full-back Stephen Perofeta that directly led to Ardie Savea’s try. 

Tom Curry and Alex Coles both gave away penalties almost as soon as they came on as replacements. As a team, England conceded eight back-breaking penalties in the second half.

The review process will be a long and painful one because New Zealand were there for the taking and England played well in so many areas. Maro Itoje was back to his imperious best against the Kiwis, George Martin a monster, Feyi-Waboso delivered a star-making performance. And it must be doubly frustrating that they still could have won despite not being at their best.

England will have another shot next week in the second Test but the All Blacks will be better now for Robertson’s first game in charge. They also have not lost at Eden Park since 1994. After the match, England’s players seemed fired up by the prospect of making history in Auckland. That is attainable, but a lot harder than it was in Dunedin.

For Smith especially, it feels like another significant opportunity. With Owen Farrell away and George Ford injured, this was his chance to establish himself as the new No 10. A win in New Zealand will act as a supermajority. A series defeat will leave it as a hung parliament.