Australia v England LIVE rugby: Result and reaction as England keep series alive with win
Follow all the reaction from Brisbane as England bounce back with victory over the Wallabies
Owen Farrell kicked 20 points as England took an imposing early lead and held off a spirited Australia fightback to level the three-match series at 1-1 with a 25-17 victory in Brisbane on Saturday.
An early Billy Vunipola try and four penalties had England 19-0 ahead in the 32nd minute and two more three-pointers from Farrell in the second half proved enough for victory.
Australia, 30-28 winners in the series opener last week, scored tries through prop Taniela Tupou and centre Samu Kerevi either side of halftime but were unable to extend their 10-match winning streak at Lang Park.
The third and deciding test takes place at Sydney Cricket Ground next Saturday.
Follow the reaction with our live blog:
Australia 17-25 England, 80 minutes
Samu Kerevi taps and sets off, but soon enough the ball is back in England’s hands after a breakdown penalty. Tapped, booted into touch - it’s 1-1.
Australia 17-25 England, 79 minutes
Will Joseph touch the ball? Not initially as England play through the forwards, but here he comes, crisp white shirt flashing under the glare of the lights.
Not the best start - pinged for holding on. Last chance for Australia...
Australia 17-25 England, 78 minutes
And now a penalty for England! Angus Bell has done remarkably well, playing all but about 30 seconds of this encounter on the loosehead due to Scott Sio’s injury, but he perhaps shows his fatigue here, penalised for hinging under the pressure of Joe Heyes.
Time ticking by. A debut for Will Joseph off the England bench - Guy Porter is replaced.
Australia 17-25 England, 77 minutes
Australian possession inside their own half. Farrell gets a useful piece of Samu Kerevi as the centre arcs, meaning the beef of his biff is reduced, enabling two England teammates to handle him well.
Joe Heyes similarly gets a vital grab of Rob Valetini’s thigh to slow another of Australia’s bigger ball carriers.
Marika Koroibete on the short line...forward pass! Jake Gordon puts his hands on his head, but the replacement scrum-half’s pass looked forward from the hands. England scrum.
Australia 17-25 England, 76 minutes
England play the percentages, keeping things tight with Owen Farrell directing his forwards into the Australia defence before securing the ruck himself.
Marcus Smith kicks high, and long...mark claimed by James O’Connor.
Missed penalty ! Australia 17-25 England, 74 minutes
Owen Farrell strikes and...it drifts wide! A slight tug to the left, starting at the upright but drifting ever away, and the assistants’ flags stay down. The gap stays at eight.
Australia 17-25 England, 73 minutes
England maul well again - and there’s the penalty advantage for a leg lift. Australia haven’t really found an answer to the drive when England have got their darts right, as Luke Cowan-Dickie does here.
It’s on the ten-metre line, and a little in-field. Posts, surely? Yep - the tee is on.
Australia 17-25 England, 71 minutes
Excellent from Courtney Lawes! He had an expert jackal in the first-half and his position is textbook again as Australia fruitlessly explore a white-walled blindside. Penalty to England.
Australia 17-25 England, 70 minutes
Enter Henry Arundell, hoping for another carbonated cameo after an impressive debut for England last week.
Australia’s lineout goes wrong, but they’ll have another go from a similar spot after Arundell makes a tackle in the air.
Australia 17-25 England, 69 minutes
But James O’Connor misses touch! Too long and floating dead, though the touch judge curiously allows England to play on despite Danny Care standing out of play when he leaps and taps back infield.
Anyway, play continues. A good deep kick from Australia forces Freddie Steward to run out of his own in-goal, punting with a relative lack of distance to 30 metres or so from his own line.
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