England 6 - 19 New Zealand + England Ladies win
New Zealand ran through England at Twickenham to win 6-19 in a rain soaked match which left Martin Johnson with a lot to do before the Six Nations kicks off in February.The England Women's team showed the men the way to win, beating the New Zealand Black Ferns 10-3 in a rain soaked match that followed the mens game.England were showed much more spark than against Argentina, with Mark Cueto demonstrating clear capability at full back instead of Ugo Monye who moved to a more suitable wing position. With the exception of a misjudged drop goal when England were on to score a try, Wilkinson's kicking was accurate. Dan Carter by contrast had a horror of a day with numerous misses. Handling mistakes from Ayoola Erinle and Matt Banahan left England unable to really penetrate the New Zealand defence. Lewis Moody was spectacular as always, but overall New Zealand were the better side and could have won by a much wider margin had Carter's boot been more accurate.
Whilst the boys were getting changed and showered, the England Women's team ran out to thump the New Zealand Black Ferns 10-3. Shocking weather greeted the teams who were delighted to see thousands of supporters had stayed on to watch the game. A try by England captain Catherine Spencer playing at number 8 secured an excellent lead for the home side. A drop goal by fly half Katy McLean gave them an unassailable lead.Whilst at times the game was scrappy and penalty-strewn, the women play hard and fast. Tackles were just as convincing in the men's game, witnessed by Black Ferns prop Ruth McKay who had to leave the field with a particularly nasty swelling under her left eye.A fantastic win then for the ladies, who demonstrated that England can beat the New Zealanders. Congratulations to Catherine Spencer who also won the woman of the match award.The heavy rain played havoc with photography, absorbing a lot of light from the floodlights meaning a higher ISO was needed to keep the shutter speed up. The fantastic plastic bag/elastic band combo works superbly as a rain cover and costs nothing. Breathable snowboard trousers and a ski jacket kept everything warm and cosy. Real time editing was a no-no due to the rain, and many will have wished for the runners that PA and Getty had to handle their pictures for them.