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 24-3 Tonga, 39 minutes
England win a penalty at the scrum but the touch-finder from George Furbank is inaccurate, collected just infield. But Tom Curry is swiftly over the ball as Sam Underhill brings down Telusa Veainu after he had stepped Curry, and Craig Evans awards a holding on penalty.
Of concern for England, though, will be Underhill, who stays down having got his tackle technique slightly wrong as he tried to corral Veainu. The medics attend to him, but it seems he will continue - yep, back to his feet, though perhaps not looking in the finest of fettle. Henry Slade kicks the penalty for the 22 as the clock ticks towards 40...
NO TRY! England 24-3 Tonga, 36 minutes
What a tackle from the England captain! It is a simply astonishing defensive intervention from Courtney Lawes to deny Telusa Veainu what would have been a quite brilliant score.
Veainu, as is his wont, had plucked the ball one-handed out of the air as Henry Slade looked to put two teammates in down the left. The former Leicester Tigers full-back races down the right, dancing past his successor in the 15 jersey at Welford Road, Freddie Steward, and looked a certainty to go over in the corner. He just loses puff, though, allowing Lawes to get his long limbs around him and dislodge the ball as Veainu readies a final reach for the line. A piece of defensive magnificence from Lawes.
England 24-3 Tonga, 35 minutes
What more damage can England do before half-time against a Tongan side shorn of a winger? For now they are content to clear their lines after claiming the restart.
TRY! ENGLAND 24-3 Tonga (Maro Itoje try, 33 minutes)
Try number four for England! England are punching holes with alarming regularity now, this time Ellis Genge driving through a tackler after a nifty inside ball from Courtney Lawes at the line, choppy strides as he readies himself for another contact, bustling through it and freeing the arms. Maro Itoje had effortlessly stayed alongside his loosehead and a final rumble and tumble and Itoje is over. The conversion is a simpler affair for Henry Slade from just right of centre - England extend their lead.
YELLOW CARD! Solomone Kata is sent to the sin bin, 32 minutes
Yep, that’s the conclusion of the officiating team, and the landing of May on his side was particularly hefty. It’s a yellow card, with Kata sent to the bin to see out the half on the naughty step despite the protestations of his captain Takulua, who claims he had his eyes on the ball. True, but that was all a bit clumsy from Kata.
England 17-3 Tonga, 31 minutes
Tom Curry stomps away angrily from the base of the scrum, taking contact with Sonatane Takulua, who has spent more of the afternoon than he would like dropping off of tackles, and does so again here.
Ooh - that looks nasty! Jonny May out-leaps Solomone Kata in the air and lands hard on his back. Kata misjudged the flight of the ball and didn’t look in a realistic position to claim it. Craig Evans will have a consultation with TMO Ben Whitehouse...
TRY! ENGLAND 17-3 Tonga (Jonny May try, 28 minutes)
A brilliant England score! They counter-attack after Adam Radwan claims a loose clearance and play to the right, sharp handling from George Furbank as he is slammed in a double-tackle allowing Manu Tuilagi a rumble in open pasture. He gets rid of one tackler and threatens to charge through another, but is just about brought down inside the Tongan 22.
The visitors’ scramble to populate the close-in spaces but are thus under-resourced on the left edge, exploited well by a pivoting Jamie George and Freddie Steward, who gives Jonny May an inviting one-on-one in the tramline. A shimmy of the hips dazzles the defender and May celebrates with a belly flop as he goes over for England’s third. Henry Slade hits the spot from the tee to make it a full seven-pointer.
England 10-3 Tonga, 27 minutes
Nearly through! Henry Slade bursts through a virtually imperceptible half-hole in midfield with Manu Tuilagi in the sidecar, but he can’t quite connect with his centre partner as he tries a back-of-the-hand offload.
England 10-3 Tonga, 25 minutes
Tonga are growing into this, and nick a loose breakdown ball from England as they spot an under-resourced midfield mass. They again attempt to use the boot to make further advancements but Solomone Kata has gone off his feet. England penalty.
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