ENG
No.Name
15Elliot Daly, FB
14Anthony Watson, W
13Manu Tuilagi, C
T
12Owen Farrell, C
11Jonny May, W
10George Ford, FH
4
9Ben Youngs, SH
1Mako Vunipola, P
2Jamie George, H
3Kyle Sinckler, P
4Maro Itoje, L
5Courtney Lawes, L
6Tom Curry, FL
7Sam Underhill, FL
8Billy Vunipola, N8
Replacements
16Luke Cowan-Dickie, R
17Joe Marler, R
18Dan Cole, R
19George Kruis, R
20Mark Wilson, R
21Willi Heinz, R
22Henry Slade, R
23Jonathan Joseph, R

*Players currently on the pitch are shown in bold

Game Info

Venue: International Stadium Yokohama
9:00 AM, October 26, 2019
All CommentaryKey Events

Match Commentary

81'+119-7 End of second half
80'
80'Last 60 seconds. New Zealand have stolen it back. It doesn't truly matter. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot rings round the stadium, as it will again in next Saturday's final against either Wales or South Africa. From a humiliating pool stage exit at their home tournament in 2015, to this. What. A. Moment. Eddie Jones, take a bow. England's 22 players, take a bow. You've done it. You're in the final and the All Blacks have been vanquished!
79'Except, that is, Beauden Barrett. The best player in world rugby runs it out from deep and gets 40 metres from his own line before England's defence can recover. New Zealand desperately trying to keep the ball alive, and they've thrown it to Marler! England can bleed the clock dry!
78'Ford will have a look at the posts here, simply because it will take fully 60 seconds off the clock. Time is England's friend, so invite it in for a coffee and a cupcake. Ford misses. Nobody really cares.
77'Back we come for a penalty against New Zealand. England can choose whichever method they wish to bleed these precious few seconds off the clock. Steve Hansen looks on forlornly from the New Zealand coaching area. It's over. The All Blacks' reign as the kings of world rugby is over.
76'England on the front foot, and they have a penalty advantage in the New Zealand half. They want a try to mark this occasion as it deserves to be.
75'It#s a scrum, which is about the worst outcome New Zealand could have at this stage. Time is leaking off the clock. For the first time since France beat them in a Rugby World Cup quarterfinal in Cardiff in 2007, they're going to lose a World Cup match. And this time, there will be no sagas around refereeing decisions. They have been soundly, roundly beaten.
74'Eddie Jones caught by the TV cameras barking something extremely direct into his microphone, to be relayed to the players on the field. Off comes Tuilagi, the hero of the first 98 seconds with that try that set the tone. England simply haven't looked back since then.
74'Substitute on - Jonathan Joseph , England
74'Player substituted - Manu Tuilagi , England
73'New Zealand have the ball but they are deep inside their own half. Leinart-Brown tries to find something. There's nothing. They're going backwards now. This is almost, almost... dare we say it... "fun" for England at this stage? And it's an England lineout after all that. It's going to take something absolutely outrageous for the All Blacks from here.
71'Here come the All Blacks! Some space! But it's Dane Coles in space and he's thwarted, then the All Blacks are pinged for holding on! It's not over, but there's a rotund woman warming up her vocal chords...
71'Sam Underhill makes way for the final 10 minutes, after a performance for the ages. It's going to be incredibly difficult to pick a man of the match from this England pack, they've been immense.
70'Sweet. As. A. Nut. Ford boots England to within a whisker of the Rugby World Cup final.
70'Substitute on - Mark Wilson , England
70'Player substituted - Sam Underhill , England
70'Substitute on - Joe Marler , England
70'Player substituted - Mako Vunipola , England
70'Player substituted - Jamie George , England
70'Substitute on - Luke Cowan-Dickie , England
69'George Ford lines up a kick from 44 metres, out towards the left flank. If he knocks this over, New Zealand will need two converted tries in the final 12 minutes.
69'19-7 Penalty goal - George Ford , England
68'The All Blacks are giving penalties away like confetti now. They're broken. This time it's for going in at the side. Referee Nigel Owens is giving his final, final warning to Kieran Read. That's perhaps the third final warning of the match for the All Blacks...
67'Player substituted - Sam Whitelock , New Zealand
67'Substitute on - Patrick Tuipulotu , New Zealand
66'Magnificently timed tackle by Itoje, ruins another attacking move for the All Blacks. They have to kick forward, and Slade covers well but slips, putting England's cover under pressure and when Ford finds touch, it allows the All Blacks to attack quickly. There looks to be a forward pass to Retallick, but England eventually win the ball back at the breakdown. The referee gives New Zealand a penalty for England playing the ball on the floor. And that is incredibly stupid from Sam Whitelock, who is caught on the replay slapping a fist into Farrell's forehead. Penalty reversed, and to be honest he deserves a card just for stupidity. Make no mistake, even if they somehow turn this around, the All Blacks have been found wanting today in every department, including "upstairs".
65'Scrum for New Zealand just inside the England half. Here comes the attack down the blindside. Huge hit in the loose by Tuilagi! The ball is knocked backwards and back into All Blacks hands. They need some inspiration though.
63'Player substituted - Joe Moody , New Zealand
63'Substitute on - Ofa Tu'ungafasi , New Zealand
63'Player substituted - Ben Youngs , England
63'Substitute on - Willi Heinz , England
63'16-7 Penalty goal - George Ford , England
62'Ford lines up the simple penalty attempt. It's even at a favourable angle for a right-footer. Up it goes, over it goes, England lead by 10 with 18 minutes to play.
60'New Zealand sent reeling in their own 22 by another thunderous hit by England bodies. It's a knock-on advantage for England, who swing it wide to Daly, who tries to cut it back inside. No room, so it's phase ball now. Billy Vunipola darts forward. Youngs constructs the attack at each phase, another penalty against New Zealand for offside, knock on by George Ford and England will surely take the points on offer this time around. Phew, frantic stuff all over again, and a great response from England to that setback of conceding a try out of nowhere.
58'The conversion is good, and New Zealand are a converted try away from taking the lead. They couldn't, could they?
58'And a mistake from the England lineout! AND IT'S A TRY FOR NEW ZEALAND! George has basically passed it straight to Ardie Savea, who is unopposed to the line before diving over. Huge mistake. Huge moment. It was going to take something like that to get New Zealand going, but it's happened, and goodness me do we have a match now!
58'13-7 Conversion - Richie Mo'unga , New Zealand
57'13-5 Try - Ardie Savea , New Zealand
56'Of all the TMO decisions in this game, this might be the biggest. It's going in England's favour, with Slade adjudged to have attempted to wrap up. They'll take one out of three, in this instance, from the TMO.
55'Some changes for England, including George Kruis on for Courtney Lawes, who has put in an absolutely tremendous shift for 55 minutes. Now, here come the All Blacks, from the back of a lineout. England defending hard for the first time in a while. Sam Underhill demolishes Read in an open field tackle. Huge roar from the England contingent in the crowd. New Zealand desperately looking for a gap. Here comes Sevu Reece! He's got some space, but it's not enough and he's forced into touch by Tuilagi and Slade. Now, did Slade fail to wrap up in the tackle there? The TMO is going to be involved again...
55'Substitute on - George Kruis , England
55'Player substituted - Courtney Lawes , England
55'Substitute on - Sonny Bill Williams , New Zealand
55'Player substituted - Jack Goodhue , New Zealand
55'Player substituted - Nepo Laulala , New Zealand
55'Substitute on - Angus Ta'avao , New Zealand
55'Substitute on - TJ Perenara , New Zealand
55'Player substituted - Aaron Smith , New Zealand
53'Great lineout throw from Jamie George, over a sea of All Blacks hands and into the clutches of Maro Itoje. Rolling maul time for England, then a backs move that almost sets Daly away on the left flank. Sevu Reece covered well there, under enormous pressure in his own corner. New Zealand try to clear, but it's a semi-charge down, and after a run from Slade, New Zealand rob the ball at a breakdown for the first time in living memory, and they will have a penalty and a chance to turn the tables. It's a chance they desperately have to take.
51'England have a lineout 10 metres inside the All Blacks' half. They have dominated possession and territory in the first 10 minutes of this second half, just as they needed to. Youngs is pulling the strings at the breakdown, and after an exchange of kicks, England will have another lineout in New Zealand territory.
50'Ford kicks the three points from in front of the posts. The game isn't yet out of reach for New Zealand, but this would now be up there with the greatest comebacks in Rugby World Cup history - double-digit deficits don't get overturned often at this level, with this much time on the board.
50'Player substituted - George Bridge , New Zealand
50'Substitute on - Jordie Barrett , New Zealand
50'Substitute on - Dane Coles , New Zealand
50'Player substituted - Codie Taylor , New Zealand
50'13-0 Penalty goal - George Ford , England
49'Referee Nigel Owens having a word with Read, to tell him that another instance like that will see a player in the bin. Rightly so. The All Blacks clinging on to the ropes, desperately.
49'Penalty advantage for England, so Slade bursts forward. It all comes to nought, so back they come for Cane taking out Billy Vunipola, who didn't have the ball. The All Blacks look like Anthony Joshua during the Andy Ruiz fight...
48'Yet another turnover by Tom Curry at the breakdown. New Zealand are getting burgled on a phase-by-phase basis now. England simply need to score to break this game apart.
47'Kyle Sinckler now hobbles off. Dan Cole is on. If England make the final, they're going to have some injury concerns, by the looks of things.
47'Substitute on - Dan Cole , England
47'Player substituted - Kyle Sinckler , England
46'Huge let-off for the All Blacks. For all that they're getting some lives handed to them here, they have to create something at some point, and they haven't done so for 45 minutes...
46'It's an accidental forward pass in the rolling maul. That's two tries England have had taken off the board by the TMO. Correctly, but still... that's gotta sting. And there's going to be a fair few pubs in England that have no idea what the score is anymore!
46'It's coming back...
46'Ben Youngs! TRY! England! What a special, special moment for the scrum half. He takes the ball from the back of the ruck and darts over after a dummy. BUT... WAIT... TMO TIME! There's a forward pass in the maul, by the looks of it...
45'With Owen Farrell carrying a leg injury sustained in the first half, England opt to go for touch rather than the points. Meanwhile, Jonny May hobbles off, to be replaced by Henry Slade.
45'Substitute on - Henry Slade , England
45'Player substituted - Jonny May , England
44'England have burrowed the ball into the New Zealand 22. The pattern of the first half is continuing into the second. Jonny May now has it, on the left. Some phase ball for the forwards ensues. Then Sevu Reece intercepts, then Youngs intercepts it back, there's general chaos and New Zealand in blind panic give away a penalty 10 metres out. The breakdown has been a total disaster for the All Blacks.
43'Just lacked direction, as it had the distance. Daly cut across it slightly and it drifted left of the posts.
42'England get a penalty for Whitelock taking a man out at the breakdown. It's on halfway, just to the right of the posts, and Elliot Daly is going to have a dig! Bold from England, but this could break the game open completely.
41'Sam Cane is on for Scott Barrett at flanker as New Zealand look to tighten up at the breakdown. That gamble didn't work, and Steve Hansen has been relatively quick to admit it.
41'The teams are back out on the field for the second half. New Zealand to kick off. Here goes the biggest 40 minutes of the All Blacks' past four years.
41'Substitute on - Sam Cane , New Zealand
41'Player substituted - Scott Barrett , New Zealand
41'10-0 End of first half
40'
40'
40'England have to mop up a restart before the break, they do, and the All Blacks trudge off knowing they are staring in the face defeat at a Rugby World Cup for the first time since 2007!
40'Interesting. George Ford is lining this up. It's probably more Elliot Daly's sort of range. But... it's up, and it's good! And that's halftime! As first halves go, that's very, very nearly perfect from England.
40'10-0 Start of second half
40'10-0 Penalty goal - George Ford , England
39'Mo'unga looking, looking, looking for a pass, and there's nothing there because the England defence is absolutely surrounding him. It's like England have five extra men on the field, so swarming is this defence. They have a penalty at the breakdown, again, as Read comes in from the side. Are England going to look for the posts here? Definitely worth a thought, with time about to expire in the half.
38'A lineout steal for the All Blacks, their first of the match. Finally, they crack the code. One last frenetic attack of this first half to come, perhaps?
36'Another penalty against New Zealand in the ruck for holding on, this time it's Tom Curry causing the mischief. Eddie Jones looks pretty satisfied with how this first half has gone, and other than there being only a seven-point margin in his team's favour, he has every right to feel confident. New Zealand haven't had a sniff of the England line, and barely set foot in the 22.
34'England's scrum in the middle of the All Blacks half amounts to little, as Sinckler knocks on in the tight. Took his eye off the ball. You can count England's mental mistakes on one hand, though.
34'New Zealand botch the restart. Kieran Read glares at his men, as if to say, "we didn't work four years to do this".
32'England looking to build through the middle of the park. It shapes up for a Ford drop goal attempt, but he misses to the right of the posts. Well, it's worth a go because every point is a prisoner in this game. Nobody has even had a look at the posts for a penalty, and we're eight minutes from halftime. Good, clean, classic rugby.
32'Drop goal-missed
31'Bridge 's battle with the left touchline continues, as he tries to take a ball out of the air, but his toe is on the line. A mistake from the New Zealand wing, and England have a lineout on the All Blacks' 22.
29'Scrappy ball at an England lineout as Lawes misses Youngs with the pass back, but England recover well, and it's coming back for a knock on against the All Blacks.
28'New Zealand trying to run from deep with George Bridge, and he's dragged into touch with relative ease. He had no room there, and Steve Hansen holds his head in his hands in the technical area in the stands. This has been a challenge for the All Blacks, and they look beatable for the first time.
27'England's handling, so poor in the early running of this tournament, has been immaculate today. And the All Blacks are matching it in kind. Fabulous break from Retallick, making 20 metres before his pass hits the ground and is picked up by Goodhue, who passes to Barrett, who is dragged into touch as England scramble back. This game is so much fun to watch!
25'The onfield decision is a try. So let's see. Has Tom Curry run obstruction there? That's very debatable. The All Blacks were caught out by the dummy run and committed to it. This decision is going to go against England, because Curry has ended up in front of the ball carrier. And it means Sam Underhill, just as he was in the last meeting between these two sides, has been denied a try by a borderline call referred to the TMO. The debate around this one might not be quite as ferocious as the offside call last November at Twickenham, but it's still going to cause a stir.
25'England win the lineout again, Daly gets it to Watson on the right and he gets to the 22. Vunipola takes it on, then Lawes, now Youngs will look for Mako Vunipola and eventually it comes to his brother Billy. And there's a break! And Underhill is going to score! Is it a try?! It's TMO time.
23'Farrell with a grubber into the New Zealand 22, and it bounces perfectly into touch. More pressure on the All Blacks lineout, but they handle this one with care. Smith boots to touch and we'll go again from around the same place as England's last set-piece.
22'Better lineout from England, with George hitting Itoje at the back of the line. It allows England to boot long, and Barrett has to kick into touch midway inside his own half. This counts as something of a chance. A quarter of this game has evaporated already. Rugby at its absolute best.
21'New Zealand try something a bit different, Mo'unga chipping to the flank for Lienert-Brown to grab, but as soon as he hits the ground, Jonny May bundles him into touch. It was worth a go, but England and May didn't blink.
19'A scrum. At last. Usually the death-knell of a rugby match, these things, they've been appalling throughout this World Cup. On this occasion, it's probably a welcome breather that might just keep things at a high level. Let's hope so.
19'England have made 182 metres on more than 50 carries so far. In 18 minutes! And that's taking into account just how many lineouts we've had as well. How on earth is this pace being maintained?!
18'Learning their lesson, New Zealand go short with the next lineout and try to get a rolling maul going. Itoje destroys it again. New Zealand had three Tests against the Lions to try and find a solution to this, and it never happened. He's killing them again here.
18'Another stolen lineout, this time by England. Courtney Lawes reading it and intercepting a ball intended for Sam Whitelock. The lineout was expected to be a battleground, and it's already looking pivotal.
17'I think that's the first penalty of the match, 17 minutes in. Underhill punished for being off feet at the ruck. It's a testament to the quality on show here that a penalty stands out like a sore thumb.
15'England's attacking moves with ball in hand are so crisp and clean, it's a shame they have tried too hard on a couple of occasions when in promising positions. Farrell is the culprit this time around, trying to flick a pass from the back of his hand while in contact. The ball, somewhat inevitably, goes to ground and is scooped up by a player in black.
14'Goodhue laying in some great defensive work, with his mullet making him look like a throwback to the 1991 World Cup. New Zealand have turned England over at the breakdown and Smith boots into touch. Even the lineouts are forming pretty quickly and getting play going again. It's like a game of stamina chicken -- who blinks first and takes a rest?
13'Itoje is demolishing the New Zealand breakdown, as he did with the Lions a couple of years ago. England's stolen ball turns into a solid attacking foundation. They're on the edge of the New Zealand 22...
12'Scrappy lineout ball, which is already a bit of a theme in this match. Smith tries another up and under, and this time Jonny May does brilliantly. He ships it to Owen Farrell to kick to touch towards halfway.
11'Mo'unga with a super grubber into the England 22 and Daly has no option but to carry it into touch. New Zealand are building their way back into this match after that blitzkrieg start from England.
10'From a lineout, New Zealand steal the ball and have numbers on the left. England's defence scrambles back well. An exchange of kicks allows Beauden Barrett to test England with an up and under, but it's too deep and Ford takes a mark in his own 22. He'll clear the ball and looks to the rest of his team. Absolutely everyone is blowing very, very hard!
7'England's fast starts are somewhat underrated. They've blown away teams in the Six Nations and in other Tests early in matches, particularly in the really big encounters. They're doing it again here. The All Blacks can't get a touch and they're hating it. The ball does finally squirm loose from a ruck and NOW the All Blacks can attack. Goodhue makes great ground, fabulous handling from Lienert-Brown to Reece. But now the All Blacks are turned over and Jonny May is streaking down the sideline! He's had to check inside with Scott Barrett covering fantastically in defence. The All Blacks snuff out the danger. Absolutely breathless, brilliant stuff from all concerned. What a match!
6'England piling forward from the lineout move. Ben Youngs taking the opportunity to lay the forward smackdown. A grubber kick from Daly isn't quite accurate enough for Anthony Watson, but it takes magnificent defence from Jack Goodhue to avoid a lineout deep in his own 22. The All Blacks are sucking air hard.
4'New Zealand are shaken. Farrell rips the ball from Nepo Laulala in contact in midfield. Itoje plucks it out the air. Huge roars from the England fans. A sliced kicked clearance by the All Blacks. They don't know what's hit them.
3'7-0 Conversion - Owen Farrell , England
2'That's one of the tries of the tournament. Simply brilliant from England, with almost every player in the team handling the ball at some stage, and Jamie George even popping up as the left winger at one stage. Farrell with a key break, the pack rocking forward superbly. Wowsers. Conversion is simple and knocked over by Farrell. Good grief.
2'Elliot Daly makes a great break down the right. Anthony Watson then takes it on. England's handling absolutely magnificent as it goes right to left, then down the middle and the All Blacks are reeling! England are going to score! It's MANU TUILAGI!! TRY ENGLAND!!! 98 seconds!!! WOW!!!
2'5-0 Try - Manu Tuilagi , England
1'George Ford flicks the ball to Owen Farrell to boot the kickoff deep to the left flank. No messing from Aaron Smith, who kicks it into touch around halfway. Lineout England.
1'Here. We. GO!!!!
1'
1'A smirk on the face of Owen Farrell as England stare down the haka. A buzz around the stadium, but nothing like the amount of singing that the Irish indulged in last weekend. Perhaps the England fans are mindful of how that turned out for them?! England standing in an arrow formation, facing the triangle of the haka. Glorious spectacle, but now for the real thing. Moments away from kick-off...
1'
1'Next up, the anthems. And then the haka -- will it get the same response from England fans as the Irish fans did last week, singing throughout the entire thing? We're about to find out.
1'And here they come! Black and white smoke goes off at either end of the field, flames lick upwards from behind the posts, and Yokohama is ready.
1'The teams are making their way out of the dressing rooms, along the corridor underneath the stands in Yokohama, and will be emerging to a cauldron of noise very, very soon...
1'Think the players aren't nervous? Think again... This from New Zealand rugby legend Dan Carter...

1'The big call for Jones was to bring back George Ford at flyhalf, with Owen Farrell moving back out to No.12 from the No.10 jersey he wore to such great effect against Australia in last week's quarterfinal. England's slick play in that match will have to be present again today if they are to keep pace with New Zealand, who demolished Ireland in double-quick time last weekend, the match over as a contest within the first quarter.
1'We've had the predictable "war of words" this week, as Eddie Jones accused (but didn't accuse, and wasn't bothered anyway) someone of spying on England's training session, then attempted to pile the pressure on Steve Hansen's All Blacks. Hansen predictably fired right back, hinting that England's failure in 2015 was haunting them and that they had more to prove that the All Blacks.

All good fun and everything, but thank goodness the side show is about to give way to the ACTUAL event, which promises to be a match to remember.
1'Hello and welcome to ESPN's live coverage of the first Rugby World Cup semifinal, between England and New Zealand.

Kick-off is at the top of the hour, and this game promises to be one of the best of this tournament. The two-time defending champions against a team that has bounced back from a humiliating 2015 performance in their home tournament to reach the last four this time around.
1'0-0 Start of first half

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