Australia vs. England: Score, Reaction from 2016 International Tour Test, Game 2
A heroic defensive performance from England was the catalyst for a history-making 23-7 win against hosts Australia in Melbourne on Saturday.
A try from skipper Dylan Hartley and a penalty from Owen Farrell gave England a 10-point advantage, before Stephen Moore reduced the deficit to just three. In the second period, Farrell's penalty put England six points ahead, and while they had to withstand a barrage of Australia attacks, a late try from Farrell made the game safe.
The result gives England an insurmountable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, and it’s the first time they’ve ever won a series on Australian soil.
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With both teams looking extremely pumped up during the national anthems, it was no surprise to see some fiery exchanges early on, with each conceding penalties. That edge, along with the crumbling pitch, made the first 19 minutes a war of attrition.
It was England who found a way through first with a try to fit the conditions. A grinding, rolling maul pushed them to within touching distance of the try line, and Hartley spun away to touch down. Farrell converted, and the visitors were on their way.
The Sunday Express’ Neil Fissler enjoyed the manner in which the score came about:
From there, England began to turn the screw on Australia, keeping them pinned in their own half for long spells. In the scrum they were performing well and some attempted wheeling from the hosts yielded a penalty, allowing Farrell to make it 10-0.
After such a focused display, the visitors let their guard down at the restart. Australia jumped on the kick off and forced a lineout via a penalty deep in England territory. They then used the rolling maul to great effect, with Moore eventually getting the ball down.
As the game rumbled on, the pitch was causing some serious issues for the players, with the turf cutting up easily when the sides were scrummaging. As ESPN’s Sam Bruce shared, some drastic action had to be taken to ensure the playing surface wasn’t completely destroyed by the players:
England had to battle hard to make it into half-time in front, as the men in green and gold poured on the pressure. But they got through to the interval with a hard-fought lead intact.
It was a show of defence that would have been a momentum killer for the Aussies, and after the interval England came out looking rejuvenated. Their sharp early play was rewarded after a controversial penalty call against the hosts allowed Farrell to make 13-7 to the visitors.
The response was positive from Australia. Again they went hard after the England set piece, carving out some scoring chances. However, the assembled mass of white was holding firm, as the match moved into its final quarter. Former England international Matt Dawson was impressed with his country's defence:
A score for Australia was beginning to look inevitable, as they consistently moved to within touching distance of the try line. But unforced errors or brilliant last-ditch interventions from England somehow kept the hosts at bay.
Gradually, the tourists started to get a foothold in the match again, with some clever scrummaging and great tactical kicking allowing them to gain territory. It was a foundation from which they eventually grabbed the victory.
Jamie George executed a brilliant grubber kick in behind the Australia defence, and the tireless Farrell steamed through to get on the end of it. The fly-half then added the conversion, before a stunning late scrum from England allowed him the chance to kick a penalty, adding a bit of gloss to the scoreline and sparking wild celebrations.
Sports journalist Seb Stafford-Bloor had high praise for the team's performance:
This is a display that will be recounted for many years by those tied to the England rugby team. They rode their luck at times, but in the main they stayed composed under pressure, cohesive up against some incredible attacking play and when their chances presented themselves, they snatched them.
Head coach Eddie Jones deserves an immense amount of credit for the way in which he’s turned this team around. England were on their knees after elimination from the World Cup last year; under his guidance, they have grown into one of best teams on the planet.
Post-Match Reaction
Afterwards Jones' thoughts had already turned to a possible whitewash.
"The players are already talking about (the whitewash)," he told Sky Sports (h/t Tom Dutton of the London Evening Standard). "This win is for the supporters, the people at the RFU and the people in the amateur game. They'll all be getting delight out of this game and we're so proud to represent them."
Australia boss Mike Cheika offered no excuses for the performance turned in.
"Obviously, we're very disappointed and we apologise to our fans," he said, per AAP (h/t SBS). "Honestly, we've had such great support and it's very disappointing to me—too many errors; too many dropped balls at key moments."
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