Australia v England LIVE rugby: Result and reaction as England win deciding Test
Follow live updates as England beat Australia in a huge series decider at the Sydney Cricket Ground
England outwitted and outfought an error-prone Australia 21-17 to win their July series 2-, a second success for northern hemisphere rugby after Ireland’s earlier triumph over the All Blacks.
Young guns Freddie Steward and Marcus Smith scored the tries and England’s streetwise pack bossed the breakdown as coach Eddie Jones masterminded a second series victory over his own country after their 3-0 sweep in 2016.
Australia scored tries through Tom Wright and Folau Fainga’a in front of a sellout crowd of 43,274 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but the home side’s accuracy deserted them too frequently at crucial moments.
Australia won the opening test 30-28 in Perth but England struck back with a 25-17 victory in Brisbane to take the series to Saturday’s decider.
Follow live reaction from the Australia vs England series decider below:
TRY! NEW ZEALAND 10-22 Ireland (Ardie Savea try, 44 minutes)
This will stand! New Zealand needed a quick reaction and they’ve got one, the fire and fury of Savea around the corner making the final, telling punch, all bristling energy as he battles out of the clutches of the first tackler and through two more to get the ball down.
Jordie Barrett converts.
New Zealand 3-22 Ireland, 43 minutes
The ball again hits the deck, but New Zealand get to it. A weaving Sevu Reece darts to within a couple of metres..and Ardie Savea might just have scored! This’ll be checked...
New Zealand 3-22 Ireland, 42 minutes
The ball pops free and again ends up in B.Barrett’s hands, and this time he does find a hole! Ardie Savea keeps the momentum up, biffing away two tacklers, and New Zealand build up to 19 consecutive phases as they earn a penalty advantage.
New Zealand 3-22 Ireland, 41 minutes
New Zealand fire out of the second half blocks. Akira Ioane and Jordie Barrett carry firmly before Sam Whitelock draws three with his charge. Beauden Barrett steps off his right boot and threatens to hurry through a half-hole, but can’t quite get away.
Second half begins!
The All Blacks get things back underway. Ireland are 40 minutes from a series win in New Zealand.
Nepo Laulala, who had a lot of strapping on his knee, has been replaced at half-time by Ofa Tu’ungafasi.
H/T: New Zealand 3-22 Ireland
It’ll soon be time for the resumption. Can New Zealand turn this around? They’ll have to score first in the second half, you’d say. Scott Barrett has been really missed at the lineout, and the backline really hasn’t worked well. Might we get an early look at Roger Tuivasa-Sheck?
H/T: New Zealand 3-22 Ireland
The All Blacks look completely lost. Defensively they are being picked apart, and they have made a number of elementary errors to prevent them gaining any sort of momentum. Has Scott Robertson got his phone on? If it continues in this manner, Ian Foster’s position will come under real scrutiny.
H/T: New Zealand 3-22 Ireland
Another outstanding, razor-sharp half from Ireland, who have once more cut New Zealand to a tangled mess of ribbons. They have unsettled the All Blacks’ lineout, held on to their opponents’ strike runners in defence and produced some typically fabulous touches in attack to extend their advantage to something rather commanding at the half.
New Zealand 3-22 Ireland, 41 minutes
But that means it will be an All Blacks lineout, which isn’t particularly pretty at the moment. Again it clunks, Codie Taylor’s throw off-line in the direction of Ardie Savea and ruled not straight.
Ireland have to take the scrum before the half can end, but it’s strong and stable, and that’ll do us for the first 40.
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