Sport / Rugby World Cup

Rugby World Cup: All Blacks vs England

23:19 pm on 26 October 2019

Rugby World Cup semifinal - New Zealand have lost to England in the semifinal. See how the game unfolded with Matt Chatterton.

Match info

The semifinal is being played at International Stadium in Yokohama, 40 kilometres south of downtown Tokyo.

International Stadium was where New Zealand played its opening match of the tournament against South Africa (the All Blacks won 23-13) and seats 72,327 people.

Welshman Nigel Owens will again officiate the All Blacks' match, like last week, with Romain Poite and Pascal Gaüzère (both from France) his assistants. Marius Jonker (South Africa) is the Television Match Official.

Kick off on Saturday is at 9pm New Zealand time.

How to watch the All Blacks vs England

The match will be shown live on Spark Sport and TVNZ1, and liveblogged by RNZ.

The teams

New Zealand

Coach Steve Hansen sprung one surprise with Scott Barrett called in to the loose forward trio on the blindside, Ardie Save at 7 and Kieran Read the No.8.

That has forced Sam Cane to the bench in place of the injured Matt Todd, while Patrick Tuipulotu is now the reserve lock.

It'll be the first time Barrett has started for the All Blacks in the No.6 jersey.

Other than that the All Blacks team is unchanged compared to the side that beat Ireland last weekend in the quarterfinals.

All Blacks matchday 23

1. Joe Moody

2. Codie Taylor

3. Nepo Laulala

4. Brodie Retallick

5. Samuel Whitelock

6. Scott Barrett

7. Ardie Savea

8. Kieran Read - captain

9. Aaron Smith

10. Richie Mo'unga

11. George Bridge

12. Anton Lienert-Brown

13. Jack Goodhue

14. Sevu Reece

15. Beauden Barrett

16. Dane Coles

17. Ofa Tuungafasi

18. Angus Ta'avao

19. Patrick Tuipulotu

20. Sam Cane

21. T J Perenara

22. Sonny Bill Williams

23. Jordie Barrett

Sam Cane will start Saturday's match from the bench. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

England

England coach Eddie Jones, meanwhile, has gone for his own twin playmaker approach, similar to that of Mo'unga at first five and Beauden Barrett at fullback, with George Ford starting in the No.10 jersey and Owen Farrell pushed out to second five eighth.

Jones used the dual playmaker combination during the pool stage but started Farrell at first five for their win over Australia in the quarterfinals.

The change means Manu Tuilagi will play at centre, while Henry Slade will now start from the pine.

Only one other change has been made to the bench - Mark Wilson replaces Lewis Ludlam as the loose forward cover.

England matchday 23

1. Mako Vunipola

2. Jamie George

3. Kyle Sinckler

4. Maro Itoje

5. Courtney Lawes

6. Tom Curry

7. Sam Underhill

8. Billy Vunipola

9. Ben Youngs

10. George Ford

11. Jonny May

12. Owen Farrell

13. Manu Tuilagi

14. Anthony Watson

15. Elliot Daly

16. Luke Cowan-Dickie

17. Joe Marler

18. Dan Cole

19. George Kruis

20. Mark Wilson

21. Willi Heinz

22. Henry Slade

23. Jonathan Joseph

George Ford and Owen Farrell will combine for a one-two punch at 10 and 12 against the All Blacks. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

What the coaches have said

The build up to Saturday's showdown has been just as entertaining as what promises to be one of the best matches of the tournament.

Jones has been at his best with the media in the lead up, he first accused someone of spying on his team during training.

"There was definitely someone in the apartment block filming but it might have been a Japanese fan. I don't care mate. We have got someone there at [New Zealand training] now,' he joked.

Jones then suggested all the pressure is on the All Blacks to win their third title in a row and fourth all time.

He went as far to say that the All Blacks psychologist will be run ragged.

"The busiest bloke in Tokyo this week will be Gilbert Enoka, their mental skills coach. They have to deal with all this pressure of winning the World Cup three times and it is potentially the last game for their greatest coach and they will be thinking about those things," he said.

But Jones wasn't done there, he even fired a shot at the New Zealand media.

"Someone has to ask them a question because the New Zealand media doesn't - you guys are just fans with a keyboard. Someone has to ask them some questions."

After naming his team for the match, Hansen laughed off the spying claims.

"Eddie and I both know it's all fair in love and war," Hansen said.

"And Eddie knows in a time of war that you throw out a bit of distraction for you guys (the media) to deal with. Best clickbait in the world, 'someone is spying on us'.

"He didn't say it was us. He was very deliberate in doing that. He talked about it being someone else, probably a fan. But everyone has jumped on it. (He) has been very clever."

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen and England coach Eddie Jones. Photo: Photosport

Hansen and Jones have spent the week telling media how friendly they are with each other off the pitch, with Hansen saying he exchanged text messages with his counterpart, laughing about they've said in public.

"It's a mind game only if you buy into it," Hansen said. "As I said, it's allowed us to have a good laugh."

Hansen then chimed in with his own mind games.

"I have talked about pressure since I have been All Blacks coach," he said. "Early in our history we probably ran away from it and ... let it chase us down the street.

"These days we acknowledge it's there. We get it every game ... doesn't matter if it's a quarter-final, semi-final or a test match. There is pressure ... but it would be very naive not to acknowledge it to be on both sides."

"They [England] will have memories of the tournament from four years ago, where it didn't go that good," Hansen said of England's failure to go beyond the pool phase of the tournament they hosted four years ago.

"For him to say they have nothing to lose, Eddie doesn't believe that either. They have had four years of work resulting in one outcome ... they have built themselves up for this.

"That brings its own pressure."