Wallabies thrashed 37-18 by England to end horror season
The worst year in the professional era of Australian rugby has ended with the Wallabies suffering a demoralising 37-18 defeat to England.
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The worst year in the professional era of Australian rugby has ended with the Wallabies suffering a demoralising 37-18 defeat to England.
It is the first time in the 109-year history of matches between the two countries that Australia has lost six games in a row to England – all coached by Eddie Jones against Michael Cheika - and this was the Wallabies’ second-biggest defeat to the old enemy.
The loss caps a nightmare season for coach Cheika and his team who lost nine of their 13 games this year for a measly 30 per cent winning ratio, the worst since 1958.
The teams were level at 13-all at the break, yet 17 minutes into the second half England were up 30-13 and had the game in the bag.
England five-eighth Owen Farrell put the cherry on top with a try four minutes before the bell, ruining Wallaby halfback Will Genia’s 100th Test match.
Wallabies fullback Israel Folau scored a double, the second on full-time, to cut the final deficit to 19 points.
Australia needed a strong start in the second half, having clawed their way from 13-3 down to level scores at the break, but England bullied them into submission.
Australia’s scrum was demolished by England, who earned several penalties from the set-piece.
England fullback Elliot Daly zipped through the Wallabies defence to score in the 44th minute after Farrell had drawn Michael Hooper and Jack Dempsey and offloaded.
Ten minutes later, giant rookie winger Joe Cokanasiga was over after bumping off Dane Haylett-Petty and racing 20 metres to the line.
After yet another scrum penalty in the 64th minute, England held a 30-13 lead.
Farrell’s try gave him a personal haul of 23 points, having also kicked three penalties and four conversions.
Farrell was involved in a controversial call by referee Jaco Peyper, who chose not to award the Wallabies a penalty try on half-time, leaving Cheika seething on the sidelines.
Izack Rodda charged through and looked set to score when Farrell shoulder-charged him, stopping the lock dead in his tracks.
Peyper awarded a penalty, but when questioned by Australian captain Michael Hooper about why he was not taking further action, Peyper responded that Rodda had also used his shoulder in the contact, which is not illegal.
England’s former World Cup-winning coach Clive Woodward said in commentary it should have been awarded a penalty try.
Farrell had escaped sanction for another hotly-disputed shoulder charge a fortnight ago on Springbok Andre Esterhuizen, allowing England to escape with a 12-11 win.
Scores were even at half-time after the Wallabies managed to conjure a converted try and penalty goal in the final four minutes.
Australia made a horrendous start when Dane Haylett-Petty’s clearance kick from his own line was charged down by England halfback Ben Youngs, and Bernard Foley was promptly bustled into his own in-goal after picking up the loose ball.
England powered through Australia’s scrum, and No.8 Mark Wilson peeled off, passed to Youngs who threw the wide pass to winger Jonny May who crossed in the corner.
Farrell’s sideline conversion put England 7-0 in front after just three minutes.
Matt To’omua had Australia on the board with a seventh-minute penalty.
Farrell hit the post with his second penalty attempt in the 13th, but Australia immediately conceded another penalty and the playmaker made no mistake with his next attempt, putting England 10-3 ahead in the 14th.
England demolished Australia’s scrum again in the 25th minute, earning a penalty, but Elliot Daly’s 54-metre attempt fell short.
Unexpectedly, Australia engineered a clever counter-attacking raid and Haylett-Petty was awarded a try in the 27th minute.
However, the 81,275-strong Twickenham crowd reacted with outrage over an earlier forward pass.
After seeing a replay on the big screen Peyper referred it to television match official Marius Jonker, and the try was disallowed because of a forward pass Haylett-Petty had thrown to Samu Kerevi, unleashing the centre down the sideline before backing up on the inside to cross the line.
England extended their lead when Rodda lifted Daly in a tip-tackle, and Farrell made it 13-3.
It appeared the game was slipping away from Australia, before a magnificent cut-out pass from prop Sekope Kepu changed the momentum in the 36th minute.
Kepu threw past Tolu Latu and to a flying Folau who ran in on an angle 25 metres out, stepping inside Youngs and Farrell and scoring under the posts.
To’omua kicked the conversion, and then a penalty after the half-time siren to even the scores.
The penalty came after Farrell had shoulder-charged Rodda as the lock looked certain to score a try, but Peyper took no further action.
Cheika must present a season review to the Rugby Australia board upon return from this spring tour, with speculation that some of his assistant coaches could face the sack.
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Originally published as Wallabies thrashed 37-18 by England to end horror season
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