England vs Australia: Second-half rally sees hosts to victory at Twickenham
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Your support makes all the difference.England swept aside Australia 37-18 to claim a sixth successive victory over the Wallabies and complete a successful autumn series at Twickenham marred only by a controversial defeat to New Zealand.
The old enemies were deadlocked at 13-13 entering half-time but blistering tries from Elliot Daly and Joe Cokanasiga opened up daylight before the win became a rout when Owen Farrell touched down in the closing stages.
Apart from losing their way in the second quarter, England dominated the Cook Cup showdown with man of the match Kyle Sinckler, Jonny May and Cokanasiga outstanding.
Victory was secured against one of the poorest Wallaby teams seen at Twickenham in recent years, the tourists enfeebled by the loss of David Pocock to a neck injury and tumultuous build up due to senior players Kurtley Beale and Adam Ashley-Cooper being disciplined for bringing women back to their hotel rooms.
Among the biggest roars of the afternoon was reserved for Manu Tuilagi, who finally made his first Test appearance for two years as a final-quarter replacement having overcome a groin strain.
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Good morning and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of the fourth and final autumn international as England take on old rivals Australia.
With kick-off at 3:00pm, we'll begin our full build-up at 2:00pm, but until then read our match prevew ahead of the clash.
So, a final run-out for England - and one that offers Eddie Jones’ men the chance to end on a high note after a difficult 2018.
After their worst-ever finish at the Six Nations, followed by the disappointment of the South Africa tour, it seems England are back on track.
The hosts showed their resilience and experience in victories against South Africa and Japan respectively, while the narrowest of defeats by New Zealand demonstrated that this side is capable of going toe to toe with the game’s best.
Today, England face a side that has endured an equally inconsistent year on the pitch. Michael Cheika’s men were beaten at home in a series by Ireland for the first time and saw their decade-long unbeaten run over Wales go up in smoke at the start of the month. Take into account their three defeat by the All Blacks, as well as the loss against Argentina, and it’s clear to see that the Wallabies aren’t what they used to be.
As such, England will fancy it - but never write off the Australians, especially not when they’ve been poked, prodded and scrutinised as much as they have across the past month. It’s only asking for trouble.
Here’s a reminder of today’s teams:
England starting XV: Elliot Daly; Joe Cokanasiga, Henry Slade, Ben Te’o, Jonny May; Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs; Ben Moon, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler; Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes; Brad Shields, Sam Underhill, Mark Wilson.
Replacements: Dylan Hartley, Alec Hepburn, Harry Williams, Charlie Ewels, Nathan Hughes, Richard Wigglesworth, George Ford, Manu Tuilagi.
Australia starting XV: Israel Folau; Dane Haylett-Petty, Samu Kerevi, Bernard Foley, Jack Maddocks; Matt Toomua, Will Genia; Scott Sio, Tolu Latu, Sekope Kepu; Izack Rodda, Adam Coleman; Jack Dempsey, Michael Hooper, Pete Samu.
Replacements: Tatafu Polota-Nau, Jermaine Ainsley, Allan Alaalatoa, Rob Simmons, Ned Hanigan, Nick Phipps, Sefa Naivalu, Marika Koroibete.
Interestingly enough, Eddie Jones has warned his men not to underestimate the visitors today. Indeed, we are talking about Australia after all.
“This is going to be their best performance of the year, the game they traditionally want to win against the old foe, the Mother Country,” Jones said. “It’s at Twickenham, it’s their last game of the year, (Will) Genia’s 100th (appearance), they’ll be up for it. So all previous form goes out the window and it will be what happens on Saturday.
“Because it’s England. Australia-England is an old consistent rivalry for Australia and they like nothing better than to beat England at Twickenham.
“History dictates a lot of what we do. History dictates that Australia-England is a pretty special rugby match.”
“They’ll see this as a chance to put everything right. They can go on to the beach and be kings of the southern hemisphere. That’s how it is.”
Australia’s last five matches:
- 29 September: Lost to South Africa 23-12
- 6 October: Beat Argentina 45-34
- 27 October: Lost to New Zealand 37-20
- 10 November: Lost to Wales 9-6
- 17 November: Beat Italy 26-7
It’s a big day for England’s Jamie George, who starts at No 2 ahead of veteran Dylan Hartley. Eddie Jones will be looking for George to hit the ground running in what will hopefully be a dynamic and physical performance from the Saracens forward. Once he’s emptied the tank, expect the experience of Hartley to be called upon to douse any lingering flames and see out the match.
Jack de Menezes takes a closer look at George and what his role will be today:
In other news, Australia are without Kurtley Beale and Adam Ashley-Cooper – veterans of 200 cumulative international caps and members of the 2015 Rugby World Cup final side. The players breached team protocol by bringing three women, including Ashley-Cooper’s sister-in-law, back to the team hotel in the hours after the Wales defeat.
More details on that story here:
An important day for Gareth Thomas and the LGBT community today. Players from across the game will be wearing rainbow laces as part of Stonewall’s campaign. Numerous sides have already tweeted their support for Thomas, who was subject to a homophobic attack in Cardiff last week. A fantastic touch from the rugby world.
Australia will be wearing their 'Indigenous' playing shirt this weekend, which features a design by artist Dennis Golding and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags. They first wore the shirts in last year’s victory over the All Blacks, a result that ended a seven-match losing streak against the side.
"The Australian jersey means a lot always," Cheika said. "But we want to show indigenous Australians that rugby is a game that represents them as well.
"There are a lot of great indigenous players, I've played with some of them and coached some of them.
"We have spoken a lot this week about indigenous history, and I'm sure we want to take that passion onto the field as well."
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