England’s new sporting nemesis

November 14, 2025 Oliver Obel

In recent weeks, England’s schedule has been filled with the familiar. The rugby league Kangaroos hopped through northern cities, the Wallabies tested Twickenham’s turf, and Formula One’s Oscar Piastri traded podium blows — and the occasional boo — with Lando Norris. It all built toward another men’s Ashes summer, complete with pre-series hysteria before a ball was even bowled.

Then came a brief pause. As the Ashes rested and Formula One took a break, another southern powerhouse stepped forward. This weekend, the All Blacks face England’s rugby union side in west London, while a few hours later, the Silver Ferns meet the Roses in the first of three netball tests.

Two fixtures in one day — and perhaps a sign that England’s most meaningful rivalry now wears black, not gold.

A rivalry in disguise

England’s contests with New Zealand have quietly become some of the most gripping in sport. The 2019 men’s Cricket World Cup and the 2022 women’s Rugby World Cup both delivered unforgettable finals between them.

And that aura of All Blacks invincibility has long since faded. Excluding their 2019 semi-final, the average margin of victory between the two rugby nations sits at barely two points — a gulf too slim to call predictable.

So why doesn’t this rivalry have its own mythology, memes, or mischief? Perhaps because New Zealanders rarely gloat. They win with composure, not chest-thumping.

After England’s World Cup defeat to South Africa in 2019, Kiwi filmmaker Taika Waititi called the English team “sore losers” — but his grin made the jab feel more like a tease than a taunt. If an Australian had said it, the British tabloids might still be printing outrage.

Maybe that humility explains why the rivalry has slipped under the radar. The Kiwis don’t shout about their victories — they just keep collecting them.

Kiwis on top

The evidence is hard to miss. On the cricket pitch, New Zealand recently outplayed England in a white-ball series, striking early and decisively. On the water, Team New Zealand have turned sailing’s greatest trophy into a habit, lifting the America’s Cup three times in a row.

According to Reuters, British skipper Sir Ben Ainslie called them “the greatest team in the sport’s history” after their 2021 defeat — a statement few would dispute.

Off the field, England’s fascination with Kiwi expertise runs deep. The Red Roses’ head coach, John Mitchell, hails from New Zealand, while performance specialist Owen Eastwood — who helped instil “All Blacks culture” into Gareth Southgate’s England football setup — now works with Chelsea.

Even cricket’s much-celebrated transformation under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum owes its soul to Kiwi thinking. McCullum’s “Bazball” philosophy, supported by fellow New Zealanders Jeetan Patel and Tim Southee, has reshaped the English game and inspired its women’s side as well.

Learning from the best

That influence keeps spreading. McCullum’s free-flowing mindset — attacking, fearless, and rooted in trust — has become part of England’s wider sporting DNA. It’s more than a tactic; it’s an attitude.

And New Zealand’s results speak for themselves. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, they ranked fourth in medals per capita — above both Australia and Great Britain — proof that this small island nation keeps punching well above its weight. Their blend of humility and high performance continues to define sporting excellence.

A rivalry rewritten

So why do English fans still see Australia as the ultimate foe? Habit, perhaps. Nostalgia, certainly. The Aussies still provoke, and that’s part of the fun. But it’s the Kiwis — with their calm precision, quiet dominance, and unrelenting success — who now test England most sharply.

It might be time to call it what it is: New Zealand have become England’s true sporting nemesis.

And if that confession ruffles a few Aussie feathers? All the better.

Sources: The Guardian, Reuters, BBC, AP