All the stats and facts for the first World Cup semi-final between England and New Zealand in Yokohama on Saturday.
– These teams have met on 41 previous occasions, with New Zealand winning 33 times, England seven times and one encounter being drawn.
– Only one northern-hemisphere side has beaten the All Blacks more often than England: France (12). The British & Irish Lions have also amassed seven victories against New Zealand.
– In four previous meetings with reigning world champions at the World Cup, England won twice (both times against Australia) and lost twice (against New Zealand and South Africa).
– Only twice before, the All Blacks lost a World Cup match against northern-hemisphere opposition while playing in the northern hemisphere. On both occasions, the opponents were France.
– These teams have met three times previously at the Rugby World Cup, with the All Blacks winning all three meetings.
– A pool-phase encounter at Twickenham at RWC 1991 was won 18-12 by New Zealand. Four years later, they met in Cape Town. The All Blacks won 45-29 in the semi-finals behind four Jonah Lomu tries.
– Their most recent RWC meeting took place in 1999. In a pool-phase match at Twickenham, the All Blacks prevailed 30-16.
– The All Blacks are the only RWC opponents England have lost all of their previous World Cup matches against.
– New Zealand can become the first team to defeat England four times at the World Cup. England have also had three RWC defeats by South Africa and Australia, while also having beaten those opponents.
– New Zealand have won 15 of their past 16 (in all Tests) against England, the only exception in that run being a 38-21 defeat at Twickenham on 1 December 2012.
– Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs, Dan Cole and Joe Launchbury all started for England that day. Mako Vunipola, Courtney Lawes and Jonathan Joseph came off the bench. Farrell led the hosts on 17 points. Tuilagi scored a try.
– That defeat marked the All Blacks’ first during Steve Hansen’s tenure as their head coach. The All Blacks were undefeated in the first 13 test matches during his tenure (W12-D1-L0).
– To this day, it ranks as one of only nine defeats the All Blacks have had in 105 matches under Hansen, since his taking charge of the team following RWC 2011.
– They most recently met at Twickenham, on 10 November 2018. It is England’s only encounter with the All Blacks under current head coach Eddie Jones. The visitors found themselves trailing by 15-0 just before half time, but still managed to pull out a 16-15 victory.
– England and France are the only northern-hemisphere sides to reach an RWC final. Both achieved that on three occasions.
– England can become the first team in RWC history to be eliminated in the pool phase at one World Cup and then progress to the final in the next.
– Tom Curry and Sam Underhill are the youngest flanks to ever start together in a Rugby World Cup knockout match, averaging 22 years and 107 days.
– New Zealand are aiming to become the first team to feature in a fifth RWC final. Australia have also featured in four. Should the All Blacks lose, England will tie both of them on four RWC finals.
– On an individual level, Samuel Whitelock, Kieran Read and Sonny Bill Williams are all aiming to win an unprecedented third world title.
– Sam Whitelock (8), Kieran Read (8), Brodie Retallick (7) and Aaron Smith (7) have all played at least seven times against England. All lost just once, in the 2012 defeat at Twickenham.
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