ENGLAND fly-half Marcus Smith insists that the team can take comfort in the career trajectories of Usain Bolt and Dan Carter as they come to terms with another near-miss against New Zealand.

George Ford, Smith’s replacement at fly-half, missed last-gasp penalty and drop-goal attempts as the All Blacks left Allianz Stadium on Saturday with a 24-22 victory.

Including their two Tests in July, England have lost three successive matches to New Zealand by a combined total of 10 points, continuing their trend of falling to narrow defeats against top-four opposition.