New Zealand vs England: Early England penalty among 3 best bets
Published:England came so close to ending New Zealand’s 20-year unbeaten record at Eden Park last time out and while we are backing them to come out all guns blazing again, it may not be enough against the All Blacks.
Dunedin has not been a happy hunting ground for England in the past and while we are confident that Stuart Lancaster’s team can make a fist of things again, it could be wise to back our boys to come out of the blocks quickly, before wilting under the pressure of the World Champions
Penalties could prove crucial to England gaining any early advantage and after going 3-0 up against New Zealand last time out, Lancaster’s team look great value to repeat that feat here.
England’s last victory in a test fixture against New Zealand came back in 2012 and started with a penalty from Owen Farrell. After last week’s showing, the optimist inside you may be confident of a similar start here.
As we’ve already discussed, a positive start is crucial to England’s chances of success and while it would be dangerous to back them for a half-time lead, we’re certainly confident that Stuart Lancaster’s team has what it takes to win the race to 10 points.
A first-half fight back from New Zealand may have taken the gloss off it but England were still good value for their initial 12-9 lead at Eden Park. And while the All Blacks have won each of their last four international test encounters, in three of those four instances they’ve lost the race to 10 points.
Stuart Lancaster’s team may have lost five of their last six meetings with New Zealand, but a closer look at the scores suggests England are definitely improving against the All Blacks and while it would be foolhardy to back them for the win, good odds on a 14-point handicap certainly tempt.
New Zealand have won just one of the last five meetings between the teams by a margin of more than 14 points and after last weekend’s close call, it could pay to back another close encounter.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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