Stuart Lancaster will delay a decision on whether to continue playing Manu Tuilagi on the wing in the third and final Test against the All Blacks in Hamilton next Saturday.

The experiment proved unsuccessful on this occasion with the Leicester Tiger, who was tackled by Ben Smith just short of the line after a 75-metre dash, struggling to make an impact.

When asked whether he would persevere with Tuilagi, who normally plays outside-centre, in the No14 jersey, Lancaster, the head coach, said: “We’ll wait and see really, we’ll have to assess the game. We won’t make the decision until Wednesday.”

His defence coach, Andy Farrell, praised the New Zealanders for their recovery in the second half. “We were pushing the pace in the first half and in the second half the All Blacks showed why they’re the world champions,” Farrell said. “Their speed of thought and the speed at which they played the game was outstanding. Their core skills are excellent as well. That we got ourselves back into the game when we could have conceded a barrage of points says everything about us.”

The New Zealand head coach, Steve Hansen, celebrated an important series triumph over an England team he rates highly. “We certainly played better than in the first Test but we needed to because England were a lot better, too. It was a great Test match,” Hansen said.

“The ball was thrown around and everyone would have left satisfied with what they saw. Any series win is important for us. There’s still another game to go and there’s been nothing in it in the first two games. We’re playing one of the best sides in the world and managing to come out on the right side of the result. We’re learning about ourselves and about England, so that is useful information.”