Key All Blacks Beauden Barrett and Codie Taylor are doubtful for another crunch Test against Ireland in Dublin next weekend due to head injuries but for now the potential bad news can wait for head coach Scott Robertson.

There is celebrating to do after he watched his side claw their way back from eight points down in the second half to win 24-22 in an uneven performance at Twickenham that was high on character (and a bit of luck at the end), if not consistency or skill.

Not too much celebrating, mind, and Robertson, happy and relieved that his side started their punishing three-Test stretch with a victory, suggested man-of-the-match Wallace Sititi may want to steer clear of his Champagne prize.

“I’m not sure he’s going to have anything to do with that bottle of Bollinger - he might give that away - but he deserved it,” Robertson said.

The character was evident in the All Blacks finding a way to win despite being punished by referee Angus Gardner in the penalty count – 8-1 against in the first half – and a late yellow card for Anton Lienert-Brown for a dangerous tackle.

And while they showed a huge amount of skill to outscore England 3-1 in terms of tries, and, significantly, were flawless off the tee thanks to Barrett and later Damian McKenzie, the handling errors and some of the option taking require work ahead of another huge assignment against Ireland on Saturday morning NZT.

But compelling final-quarter performances have been conspicuous by their absence for the All Blacks this year (as they have for England against New Zealand for that matter) and so for Robertson’s men to come back from a dicey position to retain the Hillary Shield in front of a packed Twickenham is “a pretty special moment for the group,” he said.

“We’ve had chances to win every game this year and so to get one [after coming back from a deficit] – I’m pleased for the group. It means a lot for us.”

Tele’a’s second try when he beat three would-be defenders to score in the right corner, and McKenzie’s superb sideline conversion were critical factors in the victory and for McKenzie, on as a replacement, there was redemption of sorts after he missed three second-half attempts in the 18-12 defeat to South Africa in September.

And then there were the twin misses by replacement first-five George Ford – on in the final quarter for the excellent Marcus Smith - who missed a penalty from a handy angle in the final 90 seconds and then a dropped goal from in front after the final siren.

“I don’t think George Ford has ever missed a drop kick in his life,” Robertson said.

Watch Scotty Stevenson and Pat McKendry analyse the All Blacks' 'best 23-man Test performance of the year' on our home for news, in-depth and consumer stories, TVNZ+.

Another encouraging element was the performance of the bench and in particular hooker Asafo Aumua, on after three minutes for Taylor, and props Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Pasilio Tosi and lock Patrick Tuipulotu – the latter three turning the match with their scrummaging power, ball carrying and defending.

“It’s a good story, eh? Robertson said when asked about the bench.

“It’s nice to see them come on and make an impact. Even Asafo coming on early in the piece for Codie. Patty Toops was exceptional and the scrum when [the props] came on. It swung the momentum our way and I was really pleased.”

England’s intensity, signalled during their challenge to the haka when they stepped forward to the halfway line, and responded to by the All Blacks, who also advanced, continued throughout the first quarter.

They probably held an edge in terms of defensive pressure but Sititi’s offload for Tele’a’s first try cracked the code, as did Beauden Barrett’s nice cut move with Will Jordan.

“The week showed that there is going to be plenty of feeling between the teams in regards to the haka,” Barrett said when asked about England’s challenge. “We expected a strong challenge even before the whistle. It was great – you could feel the atmosphere. It was a special moment.”

England skipper Jamie George said of his side’s approach to the pre-match challenge: “It was something that I’d been thinking about for a couple of weeks. I spoke with the senior players. I spoke with Steve [Borthwick]. It wasn’t reaction to Joe [Marler].

“As ever with our response to the hake, we wanted to do it in a respectful way. I thought the atmosphere was electric with New Zealand advancing as well. That just adds to the theatre.”

Now for the bad news for Robertson and the All Blacks. Beauden Barrett, whose tactical kicking was on point in the first half, and Taylor, excellent all year, both failed their head injury assessments.

Asked about their availability for Dublin, Robertson said only: “I’ll get the doctor to answer that.”

Lock Tupou Vaa’i also has a leg issue, he confirmed.

And the mistakes and lack of discipline? “Some of that stuff isn’t acceptable at Test level," he said. "We’ll be honest in our review… we got the result [but we] will still go deep.”

The better news is that the All Blacks won despite it all.

Now for the challenge against a side waiting to avenge last year’s World Cup quarter-final defeat. After that it's France in Paris. It doesn't get any easier.

Watch Scotty Stevenson and Pat McKendry analyse the All Blacks' 'best 23-man Test performance of the year' on our home for news, in-depth and consumer stories, TVNZ+.