Ella-Mobbs Trophy Second Test: Wallabies comeback effort falls short against England
Australia were defeated in controversial circumstances, but it was England coach Eddie Jones who lined up the referees in a vicious post-match takedown.
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Eddie Jones has blasted the refereeing of modern day rugby as “out of control” after two controversial matches between Ireland and the All Blacks, and his England against Australia.
Jones backed the 20-minute red card used during Super Rugby, but not allowed for Test matches, after All Blacks prop Angus Ta’avao was sent off for a high tackle on Ireland’s Garry Ringrose, and Izaia Perese and Marcus Smith were sin-binned for deliberate knockdowns while trying to intercept passes during England’s 25-17 win over the Wallabies.
“I think the game’s gone out of control,” Jones said.
“We saw the New Zealand-Ireland Test, at one stage the commentators couldn’t count how many players were on the field, seriously. And they had three backs packing a scrum.
“We’ve gone the full hog, where everything’s a yellow card, everything’s a red card.
“There needs to be some common sense come back into the game, because if you’re supporting a team or watching a game of rugby and the numbers are changing all the time … I asked the referee today how many yellow and red cards he had in his pocket, I picked up his pocket and had a look, he had plenty.
“But he didn’t use so many today, but he used enough of them.
“I think we’ve gone too far.”
Jones said a 20-minute red card would have been more appropriate for the Ta’avao send-off, after he had Ringrose clashed heads when the Irish centre stepped back inside and Ta’avao failed to lower his height.
“The All Black prop [Ta’avao] got more injured than the ball carrier, there was nothing intentional, it was a complete accident,” Jones said.
“He’s 135kg, if he had a big breakfast he’s probably 140kgs, and he got beaten by a change of direction and his head hit their head, he goes off injured, he’s got a big cut and the other bloke gets up.
“To lose a player for that sort of incident, I don’t think is in the spirit of the game.”
Fans across Australia were furious that Perese was sin-binned for trying to intercept a Marcus Smith pass.
While it was a legitimate attempt at an intercept, under World Rugby’s laws a player attempting such a play must have their hands facing upwards.
Smith was himself sin-binned for a similar incident in the second half.
“Sometimes they’re not deliberate knockdowns, I’d say both of those, they went for deliberate intercepts,” Jones said.
“Marcus definitely did, and Perese definitely went for an intercept.
“They say you have to have your hand pointed, I don’t know what it is, it doesn’t make any sense, whenever you’re reaching for the ball your hands open.
“If you’re going like that (motions his hands downwards) then that is a deliberate knock on and that should be penalised, but that’s not the actions we saw today.”
Jones was in vintage form at the post-match press conference after leveling the series against Australia, taking aim at media reports suggesting he was facing the sack if England lost.
“I think it’s fantastic, I love my mother ringing me up in the morning saying, ‘Are you getting sacked? When are they going to sack you, when do you have to move? Are you going to come back to Australia – come back and live in Randwick’,” Jones said.
“I love that, my poor mother.
“But I don’t mind it because I made the choice to take the job and that’s always going to happen, because there’s [an infatuation] with sacking coaches now.”
Jones also took delight in silencing the huge Brisbane crowd.
“I love coaching at Suncorp, that’s a good experience, because you’ve got 48,000 people all full of drink, and all they want to see is their team win, and when you turn them away it’s a great experience, a great feeling,” Jones said.
“I was coming out from the coaches box, they’ve all got their scarves on – when did Australians start wearing scarves, new age isn’t it – they’re not so smart now.
“Before the game they come out and say ‘You’re going to get belted tonight’. And they’re a little bit more quiet, so that’s good. I enjoyed that.”
ENGLAND RUBS SALT INTO BRAVE WALLABIES’ WOUNDS
England has sent the Ella-Mobbs Trophy series to a Sydney decider, but an injury-ravaged Wallabies side nearly pulled off a second courageous win after losing four players and conceding 19 unanswered points.
Eddie Jones’ men clawed their way to a 25-17 win in Brisbane and Australia will be wondering who is left to pick for the third Test after Izaia Perese and Cadeyrn Neville were stretchered off the field, Jordan Petaia badly concussed himself, and Scott Sio suffered a shoulder injury seconds after coming onto the field in the second half.
The Wallabies trailed 19-0 after 35 minutes, and 22-7 after 49, before threatening an almighty comeback to trail 22-17 with 15 minutes remaining.
A 67th-minute penalty from man-of-the-match Owen Farrell, who kicked seven from eight off the tee, and scrambling defence at the death helped England to level the series 1-all.
With Tom Banks breaking his arm in Perth, Quade Cooper and Len Ikitau battling calf injuries that kept them out of this match, and now the four who went down, Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has slim pickings for next Saturday’s showdown at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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Petaia was off in just the third minute after attempting a tackle.
Perese suffered a serious knee injury coming down after a catch in the 41st minute, while Neville’s knee was buckled in a ruck in the 57th.
As was the case in Perth, the Wallabies were poor early, and then mounted a spirited second-half effort.
The stirring comeback had the crowd of 46,536 at Suncorp Stadium shouting down the “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” chants from the pockets of English fans.
England led 22-7 before Samu Kerevi’s 49th minute try sparked the turnaround.
Australia thrust themselves at the English line, and Noah Lolesio’s cutout pass put Kerevi over out wide.
Lolesio nailed the sideline conversion and then kicked a penalty to bring the Wallabies to within five points at 22-17.
But in the end, they’d given England too big a lead.
Rennie spoke during the week about bringing tackle dominance from the start of the match.
Instead, the Wallabies brought an umbrella to a tsunami.
England bullied the Australians for much of the opening stanza.
It took until the 36th minute for the Wallabies to get into England’s 22, and when they did, Taniela Tupou barged over Farrell for a try.
Otherwise, there were few positive moments in the first 40.
The Wallabies had to rejig their backline just as they were forced to do in Perth with Quade Cooper’s last-minute withdrawal following Petaia’s concussion.
Tom Wright shifted to fullback, and Perese came off the bench onto the wing.
England scored off the next phase of play when Billy Vunipola crashed over from a lineout drive.
A Farrell conversion and two penalties had England keeping up with the scoreboard, 13-0 after 15 minutes.
Then Perese was sin-binned for what was ruled a deliberate knockdown when trying to intercept a Marcus Smith pass that, had it gone to winger Tommy Freeman, would have resulted in an England try.
While it was a legitimate attempt at an intercept, under World Rugby’s laws a player attempting such a play must have their hands facing upwards or there will be the risk of being binned.
England playmaker Marcus Smith got the same punishment in the second half, allowing Lolesio to kick a penalty to threaten to steal victory.
But the visitors had just enough in the tank.
