Former All Black flyhalf Lima Sopoaga knows what it takes to win in the black jersey, having won 15 of his 16 tests when representing New Zealand.
Since departing New Zealand Rugby for a move to the English Premiership with Wasps before moving to the Top 14 with Lyon, the playmaker has switched international allegiances to Samoa.
This shift has not dulled his passion for the black shirt, with the 33-year-old clearly as engaged with yesterday’s match-up between the All Blacks and England at the Allianz Stadium (Twickenham).
Posting several tweets on the X platform, Sopoaga had a running commentary on the exhilarating test match, which captured the thoughts of fans on both sides.
One tweet that certainly captured the pulse of many English fans was his observation of Marcus Smith’s removal from the action in favour of George Ford, who had eighteen minutes to play.
Smith had been in total control of the contest to that point, departing with his side eight points clear at 22 – 14.
Pulling the strings masterfully, the Harlequins playmaker looked invigorated with being the undisputed first choice and picked up where he had left off in New Zealand back in July.
Despite this, head coach Steve Borthwick opted to bring on the highly experienced Ford, who, over the years, has played key roles in famous English victories.
Of course, New Zealand would go on to take control of the fixture, with winger Mark Tele’a slipping through Ford’s grasp before replacement Damian McKenzie slotted the touchline conversion to give his side a two-point lead.
From here, England had a few opportunities to regain the lead, most notably with a late scrum underneath the Kiwi’s posts, which set up Ford in prime drop goal territory.
Unfortunately for Ford, the pass he received from replacement scrumhalf Harry Randall was high and off his right shoulder which offset his ability to set with the All Blacks defenders rushing towards him.
As the goal slipped wide right, the air was taken out of a previously raucous Allianz Stadium.
Firing out his tweet in the direct aftermath of the All Blacks victory, Sopoaga wrote a simple put clear message saying, “If I’m Marcus Smith, I am spewing.”
If I’m Marcus smith I’m spewing.
— Lima Sopoaga (@LimaSopoaga) November 2, 2024
It is worth noting that Smith himself missed two attempted drop goals earlier in the contest, which perhaps factored into Borthwick’s decision to bring on Ford, who, at last year’s Rugby World Cup, put on a kicking clinic as he guided England past Argentina in the opening pool match.
The result ensures that Scott Robertson’s New Zealand have completed a clean sweep of England this year having downed Borthwick’s men 2 – 0 in their July series.
Sign In