Friday 15 / November / 2024
Brisbane: England continued their revival under Eddie Jones with a deserved 39-28 victory over an ill-disciplined Australia side to claim their first ever win in Brisbane and take a 1-0 lead in their three Test series on Saturday.
Recovering from an early 10-0 deficit, the Six Nations champions scored tries through centre Jonathan Joseph, winger Marland Yarde and winger Jack Nowell with flyhalf Owen Farrell contributing 24 points with his boot.
Wallabies flanker Michael Hooper scored two tries with fullback Israel Folau and Tevita Kuridrani also crossing but Bernard Foley, the hero of the 33-13 victory over England at last year's World Cup, landed only three of his six kicks.
The tourists have never scored more points against the Wallabies on Australian soil and will take huge confidence into the final two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney over the next two weeks.
England flanker James Haskell typified his team's effort, ferocious in defence and at the breakdown as the tourists backed up Jones's promise of a "Bodyline" series with a display of disciplined aggression.
Australia will rue the regularity with which they were penalised by French referee Romain Poite and the loss of the edge in the scrum they enjoyed at Twickenham last October.
It had looked like being another good evening for Australia when debutant Samu Kerevi put Hooper over in the corner after a period of sustained pressure in the ninth minute.
The Wallabies doubled their lead seven minutes later when Foley delayed his pass to send Folau crashing through Farrell's tackle to touch down.
Two penalties from Farrell from in front of the posts helped England cut the deficit and a third made it a one point game after half an hour.
Foley had just had a fine individual try called back for obstruction, though, when calamity struck for the home side in the 32nd minute.
The flyhalf failed to get hold of a Folau pass out of defence, Kerevi also failed to control the loose ball and Joseph hacked through for a converted try.
Foley landed his first penalty three minutes before halftime but Farrell's fourth - the ninth time Australia were penalised - gave England a 19-13 lead at the break.
A burst up the middle from Haskell and a lofted pass from George Ford gave winger Yarde a free run to the line six minutes into the second half and, when Farrell converted, England were 26-13 ahead.
Wallabies loosehead prop Scott Sio was sin-binned in the 54th minute as England reasserted their traditional dominance at the scrum and another penalty at the set piece allowed Farrell to put England 29-13 ahead.
Hooper popped up on the wing again to score his second try after a sweeping Australia move and Kuridrani ploughed over in the 71st minute before a Farrell penalty and Nowell's breakaway effort in the final seconds gave England a famous victory.
