England v New Zealand

New Zealand won 34 of 35 matches on their 1905 tour, beating England 15-0 along the way.

On 2 December 1905, New Zealand played England for the first time at the Crystal Palace ground in London. The tourists won 15-0, part of a remarkable tour that saw them win 34 of 35 matches across Britain, France, and North America. It was during this tour that the New Zealand team acquired the nickname 'All Blacks', a name that has stuck ever since.

A diagonal run across the Twickenham turf on debut; Obolensky ended 31 years of hurt in a single afternoon.

England had waited 31 years for their first victory over New Zealand. It arrived on 4 January 1936 at Twickenham, courtesy of a 13-0 win lit up by two tries from Prince Alexander Obolensky, a Russian-born wing making his international debut. His second try, a diagonal run from one side of the pitch to the other, remains one of the most celebrated in English rugby history. Obolensky was killed in a training accident with the RAF in 1940, aged just 24.

In sixty years, England won just twice; meeting the All Blacks was less a fixture, more a measure of ambition.

Through the post-war decades, New Zealand's dominance of the fixture became entrenched. England managed just two wins in the first 60 years of the rivalry. The All Blacks' combination of forward power and tactical innovation made them the benchmark for world rugby, and England's rare meetings with them often ended in heavy defeat. By the mid-1960s, the fixture had become a measuring stick: if you could compete with the All Blacks, you could compete with anyone.

Six points was all that separated England from the All Blacks; belief, it seemed, was no longer the obstacle.

The professional era was approaching, and England were becoming more competitive against the southern hemisphere giants. The 1993 autumn international at Twickenham saw England lose 15-9 to New Zealand in a tight, bruising contest. It was a sign of things to come. England were no longer content to simply participate in these fixtures; they were beginning to believe they could win them regularly.

For one brief, glorious spell, Wilkinson's boot did what years of All Black dominance had made unthinkable: it moved England to the top of the world.

England's 2003 Rugby World Cup triumph in Australia, sealed by Jonny Wilkinson's drop goal in the final against the hosts, established them as genuine rivals to New Zealand at the highest level. Though England and New Zealand did not meet at that tournament, England's victory meant they had displaced the All Blacks as the world's top-ranked team. The balance of power, for a brief and glorious period, had shifted.

New Zealand claimed the inaugural Hillary Shield by 26 points, a fittingly emphatic tribute to the man it honours.

On 29 November 2008, the Hillary Shield was contested for the first time at Twickenham. Named in memory of Sir Edmund Hillary, the New Zealand mountaineer and explorer who had died earlier that year, the trophy gave the fixture a permanent prize. New Zealand won that inaugural match 32-6. The shield is awarded to the winner whenever the two sides meet, adding a tangible edge to an already fierce rivalry.

Twenty consecutive All Black victories, undone by 38 points on a December afternoon at Twickenham.

On 1 December 2012, England produced one of their finest performances at Twickenham, beating New Zealand 38-21 to end the All Blacks' run of 20 consecutive test victories. It was a statement result under Stuart Lancaster's coaching, with tries from Manu Tuilagi, Brad Barritt, and Chris Ashton. The scoreline was emphatic and the atmosphere inside Twickenham that afternoon was something those present will not quickly forget.

England's first World Cup knockout win over New Zealand, sealed with a Tuilagi try and a scoreline that left the defending champions stunned.

The 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-final in Yokohama was arguably England's greatest single performance against New Zealand. Eddie Jones's side won 19-7, outplaying the defending champions with a ferocious defensive display and clinical attacking rugby. England scored the only try of the match through Manu Tuilagi and controlled proceedings from start to finish. It was the first time England had beaten New Zealand in a World Cup knockout match.

Neither side could separate themselves; the Hillary Shield stayed put, and the scoreboard told the whole story.

The 2022 autumn international at Twickenham ended 25-25, a result that perfectly captured the modern state of the rivalry. England fought back from behind to level the scores, and neither side could find a winner. It was a reminder that, while New Zealand still lead the all-time head-to-head record comfortably, England have become a side capable of matching them on any given day. The Hillary Shield was retained by the previous holders.