We were gifted with the best game of the series and unfortunately for us kiwis it was England who won their first series in eight years. I will debrief this series from a Kiwis, England and an international perspective over the course of the week as England's victory can only really be viewed as a positive for the sport.

The decider in Wigan perfectly reflected the make up of the two teams as England efficiently grafted their way to victory; taking opportunities when they were presented and pegging the Kiwis down their own end. Halfback Matty Smith, who made his first appearance of the series had the biggest influence on the game as he controlled proceedings with an accurate kicking game.

Peta Hiku and Kodi Nikorima weren't overly poor, yet they were put in the shade by Smith who was the clear example of the benefits of a stereotypical halfback.

Errors and the routine sight of a stuttering backline held the Kiwis back after their forwards got their team into good field position. Both teams were strong defensively, although the Kiwis and to a lesser extent England were guilty of going sideways too often which works when you have decoys and tricky plays set up. Far too often the Kiwis went wide without results as the ball plodded along the backline.

Note - 'backline' is a bit misleading as forwards and backs are intertwined.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was kept relatively quiet again.

Issac Luke's kicking game wasn't quite as good as it was last week.

Lewis Brown was low key impressive off the bench.

Jason Nightingale possibly made the Wildcard's day, I'll have to confirm that in this week's podcast.

The routine sight of a stuttering attack was matched by the routine sight of drizzle in the north of England, which requires a certain game plan and set of skills. England with a hard working forward pack and an expert kicking display were not only better suited to the conditions, they were far more clinical. 

Overall, this result is probably the right result. We never really saw the Kiwis firing on all cylinders, which was influenced by a variety of factors and England were very good. Shout out to England, who put this lad in the shop window...