With the Wallabies unbeaten in their previous 10 games at their beloved home ground, it was a result that will encourage the England management to believe their team could still fly home triumphant. A strong forward display in the first half propelled their side to a crucial 19-0 half-time lead and, despite a spirited Wallaby fightback, the flood of points was decisive. It probably ranks as the most satisfying away win away from England since the 2019 World Cup semi-final, with the decider in Sydney on Saturday still to come. With Ireland also winning in Dunedin, the North had a positive weekend and on the balance of the two games there’s no reason why they can’t enjoy a highly satisfying end to a long season. There is already much to admire about England’s youngest fly-half Jack van Poortvliet, who has had a fine first international start. Fellow Leicester player Freddie Steward was also consistently excellent as England cruised to victory without Maro Itoje, whose tour ended after a nasty first-half collision, and Sam Underhill, who followed him in the second. The body count was extensive on both sides and the selection for the third Test at the SCG may very much be a case of picking whoever is left standing. The hosts lost a visibly dazed full-back Jordan Petaya after three minutes and his replacement Isaiah Perez suffered a serious knee injury. What hurt the Wallabies most, however, was a lack of precision as they closed to within five points towards the end of the third quarter, the most costly being a miscued lineout when they were really threatening to turn up the attacking pressure. . At that point England were even more grateful for their quick start. It was just five minutes in when a clever line change back into a forward pod combined to drive Vunipola through, with Farrell’s conversion and two more penalties giving England a 13-point cushion inside the first 15 minutes. Things were to go from bad to worse for Australia. A promising long pass from Marcus Smith was almost intercepted by Perez, but the substitute’s one-handed effort did not stick and he was duly booked. Farrell kicked another penalty to further deflate the local mood. Owen Farrell scored 20 of England’s 25 points. Photo: Bradley Kanaris/The RFU Collection/Getty Images Everything seemed to be going for England suddenly: a ricocheting deflection fell beautifully for Underhill and only a good tackle from Hunter Paisami stopped Jack Nowell as he sped into the right corner. The Wallaby defense was being hit and stretched like fresh pastry dough. Another penalty followed and so, inevitably, another Farrell penalty. Australia needed something urgently and a penalty for an illegal England wheel finally gave them their first attacking possession in the visitors’ 22. To the relief of the home support, they made the most of it, with the huge Taniela Tupou thundering over from close range. Itoje’s night ended shortly afterwards, with the lock slightly misjudging his tackle on Paisami and taking a heavy hit that left him temporarily unable to stand. He left to be replaced by Leicester’s Ollie Chessum, further increasing the brood of Tiger cubs on the field. Their club captain Ellis Genge also had a good game, marred only by a wicked pat on the head from Nick White that gave Australia a penalty, but nothing more. The injury-riddled encounter soon claimed another casualty when the unlucky Perese swerved horribly on landing and was wheeled away. Rugby may be a fascinating sport, but its dark underbelly, both in terms of casualty rates and regulatory inconsistencies, is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. It was to Australia’s credit, then, that they quickly regrouped and scored a second try after 48 minutes, Noah Lolesio’s fine pass giving Samu Kerevi a chance to touch the dead ball line. It really felt like the tide was turning when Smith was sent to the sin-bin for a toe as Australia pushed forward again and Lolesio hit another three points. The Breakdown: sign up and receive our weekly rugby union email. With Underhill and back-up Australian prop Scott Sio the latest casualties to leave the fray, it was therefore all the more significant when a 67th-minute penalty from Farrell, his sixth of the match, restored England’s advantage to eight points. Nothing was remotely guaranteed given the visitors’ recent tendency to fade in the final quarter and three new entries now on the field, 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 series decider in his old city. It’s been a long season, but suddenly those members of the England squad who can still walk have a renewed spring in their step.
