England vs Tonga LIVE: Rugby result and reaction from 2021 autumn international fixture today
Follow all the latest updates from Twickenham as Eddie Jones’ side begin their autumn campaign
England responded to the loss of captain Owen Farrell to a positive Covid test by overwhelming Tonga 69-3 in their Autumn Nations Series opener.
The first 82,000 full house at Twickenham for 20 months because of the coronavirus pandemic noisily celebrated a 11-try rout led by Jonny May, Ben Youngs and Jamie George, who each crossed twice.
Victory was completed despite a disrupted build-up that saw Farrell withdraw as fly-half and captain after testing positive for Covid with confirmation of his absence delivered only 90 minutes before kick-off.
George Furbank was promoted to chief conductor for his fifth cap and a rookie who is more accustomed to playing full-back rose to the occasion by showing several attacking flourishes until he was replaced by Marcus Smith.
The intention had been for Farrell and Smith to form a playmaking axis but Covid and Smith’s leg injury sabotaged that plan and instead the Harlequins prodigy had to wait until the 53rd minute to step off the bench.
Smith entered the fray at a time when England were becoming scruffy in the face of successful Tongan spoiling but his arrival gave Eddie Jones’ men a second wind and he picked a brilliant support line to finish a break by man of the match Henry Slade.
The 22-year-old’s afternoon was marred only when he was elbowed on the floor in the 70th minute by Viliami Fine, who was sent off as a result.
England 29-3 Tonga, 42 minutes
A misfire. A dropped ball as England try to maul and Tongan feed at the scrum as the wind just begins to blow a bit more strongly at Twickenham.
England 29-3 Tonga, 41 minutes
Crikey does Manu Tuilagi look good! First the England centre rampages down the right, freed by a late pass from Henry Slade, skipping beyond Telusa Veainu and getting a very nifty offload off the floor when he is finally felled.
The next pass goes awry though, and thanks to an incredibly deft flick off the grass Tonga try and counter, a movement ended by a positive tonking into touch from a retreating Tuilagi.
In fact, England will have a penalty - a sly tug of a supporting English shirt as Tuilagi made his break and England will kick for the corner.
The players return
Tonga are back out first at Twickenham, soon to be replenished to a full fifteen when Solomone Kata is permitted to return from the sin bin in a couple of minutes.
England return, with one notable absentee - Sam Underhill has his jacket on, which means Alex Dombrandt will have 40 minutes to make an impression. You’d suggest that means Tom Curry on the openside - but you never know with Eddie Jones.
Anyway, George Furbank will give it a first skywards hoist...
A strong crowd at Twickenham
Eddie Jones says he hoped to prevent any Mexican waves on the occasion of the return of a full crowd to Twickenham, and but for one rather lacklustre effort in the corner of the top tier, his side have succeeded. It has been hard to assess the intent of his side against a team that are allowing England plenty of spaces to attack, but they have looked more purposeful with ball-in-hand in theat first 40 minutes than for much of the Six Nations and last year’s autumn fixtures, roared on by a genuine capacity crowd.
H/T: England 29-3 Tonga
Tonga have been mildly disappointing, kicking often when they have had the ball despite some very, very strong carriers able to win the gainline with regularity. They were perhaps slow to support Telusa Veainu after he had reeled in that intercept, though it wouldn’t have mattered had Courtney Lawes not produced a corner-flag cover tackle for the ages.
H/T: England 29-3 Tonga
You would suggest that England will be reasonably pleased with that first half. Five tries and one outstanding defensive intervention the highlights as they settled into their work rather well, with George Furbank knitting himself in to the midfield crochet rather tidily, with one particularly promising burst through a gap. Manu Tuilagi and Henry Slade have been troublesome for Tonga, while the ball for Ben Youngs has been quick, and duly delivered with a certain sharpness that hasn’t always been apparent.
TRY! ENGLAND 29-3 Tonga (Ben Youngs try, 40 minutes)
And England score before half-time! It’s a clever plan from the lineout, crabbing the maul infield to expose the blindside, still unmanned with Solomone Kata in the bin. Jamie George spots the space after getting a call from the outside, alighting at the right stop as Tonga pile bodies into the rumbling mass, and drawing a three-on-two.
The last defender fades to the outside as George shifts the ball on to Ben Youngs, who uses the threat of Jonny May’s speed on the edge to dummy, go, and grab himself a score. Henry Slade pushes his conversion left of the posts, and that’ll do us for the first 40.
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