Aussies down shaky Poms
15 Nov 2008
Australia beat England 28-14 at Twickenham in an error-ridden match.
The Wallabies have a somewhat dodgy record at Twickers – they’ve lost four of their last five visits to London – with last year’s World Cup quarter-final defeat to the Poms also still rankling.
England, under new manager Martin Johnson, are desperate to show their new-look group of youngsters can mix it with the southern-hemisphere big boys.
The joint expectations, therefore, made for a dull affair of a Test match. Scrum followed scrum and turnover followed turnover as both sides betrayed their nervousness at what a loss would mean.
Australian coach Robbie Deans was expecting a well-rounded contest. “You’ve got two sides who like to play with the shackles off. It won’t be a frivolous game but it should be a game that will have everything,” he said before the start.
How wrong he was. It was only from the 70th minute that some continuity began to build-up and by then the Wallabies were content to let England run at them while they raised the tackle count.
Aussie flyhalf Matt Giteau was the man targeted by England in the build-up for his silky distribution skills but the Wallabies themselves rarely got going and their solitary try came with only 12 minutes remaining off yet another England mistake.
However, when the match started it was all Wallabies. In the first 15 minutes Giteau slotted three penalties for silly England infringements. A rare England attack yielded three points via a drop kick by fullback Delon Armitage while flyhalf Danny Cipriani – who made several excellent breaks – hashed-up anything when it came to his boot (including two drop goal attempts, a conversion and a penalty).
The Wallabies seemed to be the ones settling until the 32nd minute when an amateurish mistake by winger Peter Hynes handed the ball to England scrumhalf Danny Care. With England swarming, flanker Tom Rees seemed to have scored under the posts but video replays were inconclusive. The resulting scrum, however, did see England score, No 8 Nick Easter the man burrowing over. Cipriani managed a penalty to take the score to 11-12 (Giteau had meanwhile put another over) just before half-time as England clawed themselves back, no doubt the thought of a glowering Johnson awaiting them in the changeroom providing the gee-up.
But after the break it was the Aussies who came out snorting – centre Ryan Cross was just stopped on the 5m line after some slick handling.
Thereafter it was back to the collapsing scrum and turnover script until Aussie fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper scored after lock Nathan Sharpe (who had an excellent game) kicked ahead from a line-out botch-up. Quick recycling took the Wallabies to the tryline and only frantic England defence stopped the five pointer. No matter: the old hands in the Australian side steadied the ship and after several batters at the tryline eventually the ball was shifted wide and Ashley-Cooper scored in the corner. Giteau calmly slotting the conversion.
England substituted Cipriani with 10 minutes to go and despite some heroic bashing as the clock wore down never breached the Wallabies’ defence again.
England – Try: Easter. Penalties: Cipriani (2). Drop goal: Armitage
Australia – Try: Ashley-Cooper. Conversion: Giteau. Penalties: Giteau (6). Mortlock
33 Comments
15 Nov 2008, 15:29 pm
Dragons.
15 Nov 2008, 15:32 pm
England have been shite since 2003, Aus to take this one.
15 Nov 2008, 15:33 pm
No Elsom… That is a huge blow.
England by 6.
15 Nov 2008, 15:37 pm
#2 NZINCHINA: I have the same feeling. Oz by 5 today. Who the Ab’s playing later? Is it Ireland?
15 Nov 2008, 15:38 pm
is the bok game on Sky in the UK?
15 Nov 2008, 15:39 pm
Yip, without Elsom the Ozzie pack is rather vulnerable…. I have the feeling that the Bleekbene might just take this one !
15 Nov 2008, 15:39 pm
#4 Puma:
Yes should be a good game, should have too much pace out wide for the Irish. How many points are you going to beat the Scots by, on the back of our performance last week at least 30 then?
15 Nov 2008, 15:43 pm
Doh, it;s on BBC 1!!!
15 Nov 2008, 15:43 pm
#7 NZINCHINA: I think the Scots will be a little better today. I think Boks by 20. Ab’s will thrash the Irish no problems there. I will be watching that game as its after the Bok game.
15 Nov 2008, 15:48 pm
#9 Puma:
20 sounds about right then, I doubt we’ll thrash the Irish they have run us close at home the last few times but the conditions were terrible – if its dry we should score a few trys.
15 Nov 2008, 15:49 pm
#10 NZINCHINA: I heard it will be dry in Scotland so we should get 20 on them. I think Ab’s just too powerful for the Irish at the moment. Cant see that game being close. Ab’s by 15 I think.
15 Nov 2008, 16:02 pm
Puma, news is it will be wet, i still hope boks get 20+ tho
15 Nov 2008, 17:59 pm
Aussie — SIX penalties, not one try?
15 Nov 2008, 18:04 pm
Well, England have been utterly drubbed by the Wallabies.
15 Nov 2008, 18:05 pm
Pommes lose again at Twickers – no surprise there.
15 Nov 2008, 18:07 pm
The commentary on this game is very boring!!! The game is not the best either..
15 Nov 2008, 18:20 pm
pathetic poms
15 Nov 2008, 18:21 pm
pathetic boks pdv must go
15 Nov 2008, 18:25 pm
How many did Cipriani miss?
15 Nov 2008, 18:26 pm
#15 NZINCHINA:
Come now I thought they played with passion for the 3rd 20 … was just the 1st, 2nd & 4th that posed a problem. Would love to know what Mr John son had to say at half time
15 Nov 2008, 18:30 pm
#19 Bagel:
Which time in particular ?
15 Nov 2008, 18:50 pm
#21 Rugby_Princess: Morning Princess- shizen- if the Ozzies can whip their sorry asses imagine what the AB’s will make of them.
15 Nov 2008, 19:11 pm
England may have lost by 14 points – But in truth there is much improvement there and lots to encourage a coach and a nation. These same however can NOT be said about the Boks’s purely inept performance today! Who decides whatever game-plan they do have PdV or the players themselves? Whomever it is let me answer it this way – it HAS to be one or the other!
15 Nov 2008, 19:58 pm
big surprise, that england pack looks massive. This should have been there game.
15 Nov 2008, 20:52 pm
Would have thought Big Hit would ahve been on and congratulating Ozzie for the win,must be drowning in his cup of tea
15 Nov 2008, 21:11 pm
#23 cyberscamp: I disagree. We have gone backwards.
Congratulations to Ozzie fans (even you Wallabie)
15 Nov 2008, 22:05 pm
#26 Big Hit: Thou dispaireth too soon. Have no fear – this side is on its way to being a proper team. They have had TWO games under Johnson and still won all the stats of the game, except the scoreboard – but that will come. Have faith!
15 Nov 2008, 23:33 pm
What an amazing waste of time these EOYT are. bring back the 3 test series, where both sides tend to take it more seriously. Every game to date in the series has been rubbish.
Thank ****** it’s almost over.
16 Nov 2008, 02:45 am
#27 cyberscamp: we need Jonny
16 Nov 2008, 05:20 am
Aussie utterly CRUSHED England. Look at the scoreboard!
16 Nov 2008, 07:15 am
Player of the game for me in this game was Hugh McMeniman. Had a blinder and maybe he is Aussies cover for Elsom. Palu I guess will start against the French. Burgess had a shocker, but it happens to everyone.
16 Nov 2008, 07:54 am
#26 Big Hit: What do you think of Cipriani? I think he’s a big ponce personally and far from the complete player many believe him to be. Also can’t understand why Easter gets a game ahead of Haskell.
16 Nov 2008, 12:10 pm
#32 jonnymain:
If you asked Ciprati what he thought of Big Hit…….he would say “I think he is a big ponce”.
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