Australia vs. England: Score, Reaction from 2016 International Tour Test, Game 1
England chalked up a sensational 39-28 victory over Australia at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in the Test series.
Eddie Jones’ side didn’t have the best of the action with the ball, but resolute defending and clinical attacking was enough to see them cross the line.
Both sets of players came roaring out of the blocks in the first half, with Australia looking dangerous on the break and stretching the England rear guard.
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Several plays came to nothing, but the Aussie pressure eventually told after 10 minutes.
Good work from Israel Folau got Australia five yards from the English try line, and when the play was recycled, Michael Hooper was on hand to touch down.
Folau himself then got the hosts’ second try of the day courtesy of a stunning run from deep, with England caught cold.
The Australian full-back burst through a pack of players before crossing the line and making it 10-0, yet journalist Alex Shaw believed England contributed to their own downfall:
Two penalties from English fly-half Owen Farrell reduced arrears to 10-6, as England started to get a firm grip of the game.
A third penalty brought Jones’ men within a point of their hosts, and just moments later, it got even better for England.
Folau’s pass to Bernard Foley was clumsily dropped, Samu Kerevi couldn’t recover the ball, which gave Jonathan Joseph the chance to burst through and cross the line.
Joseph read the chance superbly and showed incredible pace to put five points on the board. Former England star Jason Robinson was one of many celebrating the crucial try:
Foley and Farrell added penalties to make the score 19-13 to England at half-time, and they were good value for their lead.
After the break, the visitors picked up where they left off, and it wasn’t long before they extended their advantage.
An excellent, 20-yard pass from substitute George Ford found Marland Yarde in acres of space on the right flank, and he was left with the simple task of dotting down.
Two further penalties from Farrell put England into a dominant position at 32-18, yet Australia aren’t the type of side to go down without a fight, even though they were temporarily down to 14 men after the sin-binning of Scott Sio for repeated infractions at the scrum.
Hooper gave England something to think about with his second try of the game, before an explosive burst from Tevita Kuridrani made the game very interesting, at 32-25.
England’s defence had been exceptional throughout the game, but they were truly tested in the final 10 minutes.
With two minutes to go, Australia were awarded a scrum penalty, which Foley decided to kick and set up a chance to go for the win.
He successfully converted to make it 32-28, but it was England who crossed the line to secure a famous victory.
More brilliance from Ford played in Jack Nowell, who made no mistake in the left corner to give the English the perfect series start.
The match was a lesson in how to deal with Australia. The likes of James Haskell and Mike Brown were simply unbreakable, and if they keep up such brilliance for the rest of the series, history could well be made.
The second Test takes centre stage in Melbourne on Saturday June 18.
Reaction
Following the match, fly-half Owen Farrell told England Rugby's official Twitter account that his side executed their game plan perfectly at the Suncorp Stadium:
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