Home side can take heart from aspects on and off the pitch despite New Zealand’s crushing 1874 Cup win in Maryland
With minutes to go at FedEx Field the scoreline stood at 14-92. Like Columbus, the All Blacks had wreaked havoc upon the new world. They didn’t stop there, though, scoring twice in the dying moments, for 16 tries and 104 points on the board.
It was a shadow team, too. Unsurprisingly, it was hard to get much from the coach, Ian Foster, and captain, Sam Whitelock, about what the game might mean in terms of tougher Tests to come in Europe, starting with Wales on Saturday.