There was a moment when it looked as if the Red Roses were heading for a second straight draw after their 26-26 draw with Canada last week.
At 19-19, when the clock struck the 81st minute, England and New Zealand he seemed destined to share the spoils.
That was until Zoe Harrison intercepted a pass and flew over the try line to secure a 26-19 victory in front of 59,871 fans at Allianz Stadium.
It was dramatic, it was chaotic and as John Mitchell later admitted, it wasn’t always pretty.
“It was upside down,” said the head coach of the Red Roses. “They bowled us over in the first half, and we gave them too much possession.
“There was a moment in the first half where there was a knock and it didn’t go back to scrambling, and then from that moment New Zealand seemed to own all the possession.”
For a coach who wanted his team to control the territory, it was sometimes far from ideal.
“They’re a very territory-based team. We had our plans to win that territory. We didn’t do that and as a result, we had to rely on our defense,” Mitchell admitted.
That defence, according to the head coach, was why England were still in the contest when Harrison produced his last-gasp try.
“The defense was absolutely excellent.”
And while Harrison provided the match-winning moment, Maddie Feaunati was at the center of much of England’s work on the afternoon.
The player of the match made herself known from the outset, making her way on a 40m break, and continued to make her presence felt throughout the contest with 12 disposals and 23 tackles.
“She’s so determined and she’s grown tremendously,” Mitchell said of Feaunati.
“Coming from far away, immersing yourself in the culture you knew when you were young and joining the Red Roses team is not easy for any youngster or new player.
“She’s really blossomed, she’s super quick and loves to be challenged.
“Maddie was not happy with her performance against Australia on one side of the ball, so we talked about it a little bit, and she’s improving and learning pretty quickly.”
That willingness to learn will be crucial as England continue to develop their squad and expose less experienced players at the highest level.
“You have a teenager on the bench and a threesome on the hook,” added the Red Roses coach.
“They have to learn against the best and that’s what they’re doing at the moment, which I’m delighted about.”
Looking ahead to England’s next meeting with their long-time rivals, Mitchell was also keen to underline how rare these encounters have become.
“We don’t get a chance to play enough against each other. We won’t meet them again until 2028 and they will be a better team than they were today.”
“New Zealand are in a really great place for the Lions series and they’re going in the right direction for the World Cup, which is just around the corner.
“They are used to those conditions and surfaces. They build depth and are extremely athletic.”
“We had two moments in the second half where I think we had 22 injuries, and we let them go. That’s where I think we could have finished them off, but that will come,” concluded Mitchell.
For captain Meg Jones, the result was ultimately how England responded when the Black Ferns pushed them to their limits.
“What an incredible honor to play the Black Ferns. They challenged us early on and I feel we responded really well and rose to the challenge.
“It was an amazing test match for us and I keep saying we’re playing the best teams now, so you’re just going to get absolutely everything on you, your game is going to be tested every step of the way and today we won and we managed to stay on top,” she added.
“Credit to the girls who showed our character today.”
After being pushed all the way by the Black Ferns, England eventually had the composure to find one last chance – and Zoe Harrison made sure they took it.
The Red Roses will now turn their attention to October when they face Canada in a two-Test series before taking on USA Women’s Eagles.
