Finally a little break for English rugby after a difficult few months. The streak has yet to be won, but it’s still alive after a frantic, swinging race on a quiet Brisbane evening. England faltered for a moment but 20 points from the boot of Owen Farrell and an early try for his Saracens team-mate Billy Vunipola proved enough to secure their side’s first win in four Tests.
Given that the Wallabies were unbeaten in their previous 10 games at their favorite venue, it was a result that will encourage England’s management to believe that their side can still come home in triumph. A strong forward performance in the first half took their team to a decisive 19-0 half-time lead and despite a spirited Wallaby turnaround, the early flow of points was decisive.
It probably ranks as the most satisfying win for the visitors outside of England since the 2019 World Cup semi-final, with Saturday’s decider in Sydney still to come. With Ireland also winning in Dunedin, the North had a positive weekend and with the result of the two games there is no reason why they cannot enjoy a hugely satisfying end to a long season.
There is already much to admire about England’s newest attacking midfielder Jack van Poortliet, who had a fine first international start. His Leicester counterpart Freddie Steward was also consistently excellent as England scrambled to victory without Maro Itohe, whose tour ended after a heavy first-half collision, and Sam Underhill, who followed him in the second.
The body count was high on both sides and the selection for the third Test at the SCG could very much be a case of picking whoever is left. The hosts lost their visibly dazed full-back Jordan Petaya after three minutes and his replacement Isaiah Perese suffered a serious knee injury. What hurt the Wallabies most, however, was a lack of accuracy as they closed to within five points late in the third quarter, the most costly being a crooked lineout when they were really threatening to mount the attacking pressure.
By this point, England were all the more grateful for their quick start. Barely five minutes had passed when a smart line switch back to a forward pod combined to deny Vunipola, with Farrell’s conversion and two more penalties giving England 13 points to spare in the first 15 minutes.
Things were about to go from bad to worse for Australia. A hopeful long pass from Marcus Smith came close to being intercepted by Perez, but the substitute’s one-handed effort didn’t stick and he was duly booked. Farrell kicked another penalty to further spoil the local mood.
Owen Farrell scored 20 of England’s 25 points. Photo: Bradley Canaris/The RFU Collection/Getty Images
Everything seemed to be going England’s way suddenly: a ricocheting deflection fell well for Underhill and only a good tackle from Hunter Paisamy stopped Jack Nowell as he raced into the right corner. The Wallaby defense was both battered and stretched like fresh pastry dough.
Another penalty followed for Ruck and so, inevitably, another penalty for Farrell. Australia needed something urgently and a scrum penalty for an illegal wheel on England finally gave them their first attacking possession in the away 22.
To the relief of the home support, they made the most of it with the massive Taniela Tupou firing over from close range.
Itoje’s night came to an end shortly after, as the lock slightly misjudged his attempt to tackle Paisami and landed a heavy blow that left him temporarily unable to get to his feet. He came off to be replaced by Leicester’s Olly Chesham, further increasing the number of Tigers on the pitch. Their club captain, Ellis Genge, also had a good game, marred only by a clever forearm pat on Nick White’s head that resulted in a penalty for Australia, but nothing more.
The injury-riddled collision soon claimed another victim when the hapless Perese twisted horribly on landing and was carried away. Rugby may be a fascinating sport, but its dark underbelly, both in terms of death toll and legal malfeasance, is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
It was then a credit to Australia that they regrouped quickly and scored a second try after 48 minutes, a fine pass from Noah Lolessio giving Samu Kerevi a chance to tap in just off the dead line. It really felt like the tide was turning when Smith was sent to the sin bin for a toe-kick as Australia surged ahead again and Lolezio claimed another three points.
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With Underhill and Australia reserve Scott Sio the latest casualties to leave the fray, it was therefore a big deal when Farrell’s 67th-minute penalty, his sixth of the contest, restored England’s advantage to eight points. Nothing was far from guaranteed given the visitors’ recent penchant for fading in the final quarter and three new games now on the pitch, but this time they held firm.
Eddie Jones looked a much happier man, rightly praising the spirit of his young side and already enjoying a crucial run in his old hometown. It’s been a long old season, but suddenly those members of the England squad who can still walk have a renewed spring in their step.
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