England 13 Australia 33
It'll be absolutely no consolation to England that they were handsome contributors to a wonderful Rugby World Cup match. Australia were worthy winners producing an outstanding performance and perhaps the most fluent, cohesive and aesthetically beautiful rugby of the tournament to date.
Man-of-the-match Bernard Foley scored a staggering 28-points with a phenomenal individual display in every facet; kicking passing, distribution, running and decision-making. Matt Giteau was the other Australian scorer with a late try.
Australia’s twin scourges Michael Hooper and David Pocock ruled the breakdown forcing a plethora of penalties and turnovers, many at crucial moments. Australia edged the scrum penalty count and their ability to translate opportunity into points was decisive when the game was a contest.
The final score-line is a tad harsh on the tournament hosts but there’s no quibbling about which side deserved to win.
England are out of the tournament, the first hosts not to at least make the quarter-finals but what will smart more is that having trailed 20-3 they got back to just a single score behind, 20-13, before utter stupidity on the part of Owen Farrell and Sam Burgess on 70-minutes, effectively handed the initiative back to Australia.
Farrell received a yellow card for a shoulder charge; Burgess might have got one for a jawline tackle. Foley kicked the resultant penalty and with a two score cushion, the Wallabies found their rhythm again to finish in style.
England coach Stuart Lancaster was booed when he came onto the pitch to do an interview. It was pathetic and boorish. He'd watched a film on the night before the opening game of the tournament against Fiji.
He admitted afterwards that his choice wasn’t a sensible one. Tonight at Twickenham he faced his ‘Everest’ and like the one of the principal characters he perished.There is an essential decency to Lancaster, a commendable trait in life but incidental to the bottom line in sport.
Australian coach Michael Cheika was gracious in victory and can now look to a pool decider at Twickenham this day next week against Wales. The Wallabies, winners of this year's Rugby Championship, have left their calling card on the tournament. It was a joy to watch.
The opening 40 minutes exceeded expectation, thrills, spills and moments of wonderful rugby clarity. Australia scored two gorgeous tries, the product of being able to play the ball out of the tackle for the first and then second a homily to training ground precision.
That Foley got both was a testament to a brilliant individual display. He swapped with Matt Giteau as first receiver; more often than not taking his place at outhalf when his side had gone through several phases and he was lethal once the game broke up.
His range of passing, footwork and the vision he demonstrated was mesmeric. He may have been struggling for a little form but at Twickenham tonight he was bordering on unplayable.
His first try came from a brilliant offload from Sekope Kefu who got his hands free through the tackle and from that moment, the Wallabies were in behind the home side in the English 22. A dip of the shoulder and a swerve took Foley past two tacklers and he scampered over the line.
His second came from a well rehearsed move, Foley inviting replacement Kurtley Beale - a 10th minute replacement for Rob Horne - onto a beautifully weighted inside pass and the Aussie outhalf supported his wing to take the return pass and race in for a try. For good measure he kicked both conversions to add to an earlier penalty.
England played some brilliant rugby of their own but the crucial difference was that the home side could not convert their chances. Three times they were turned over at the breakdown in the Australian 22, the momentum dissipating in an instant.
Jonny May, Owen Farrell and Mike Brown all made line breaks - hooker Tom Youngs his team's outstanding player in the half - but having broken the Australian first line of defence weren't ruthless or precise enough to extract the ultimate reward.
On one occasion midway through the half that had a brilliant opportunity to go out the back door, so to speak, for a second time with numbers out wide but chose contact instead. It was a glorious opportunity missed and one of three early errors from the fullback but he demonstrated later in the half just why is is one of the outstanding athletes in professional sport.
The pre-match chat about the scrums meant referee Romain Poite policed these rigorously, awarding each side a brace of penalties and England a free-kick: Joe Marler was the English player penalised twice in this facet of play.
On a third occasion just after the interval, Poite called him aside and gave him a stern warning about his angles. Foley kicked the penalty chance; Marler was replaced by Mako Vunipola within a minute.
As the half wore on and the pressure of chasing began to weigh more heavily, the England players began to make more handling errors in the backfield: they continued to make half-breaks but Australia, using Foley and Genia as sweepers scrambled well.
England’s only response during that period was a penalty from Farrell that tied the sides at 3-3, before Australia pulled away to their 17-3 half-time lead. The Aussies could have been even further ahead but Izzy Folau dithered for a split second too long with an unmarked Rob Horne waiting to run-in from 20 metres.
There was so much to admire though in the way the Wallabies played, their exit strategies from the own 22 were varied and more often than not gave them field position in England’s half.
At 20-3 behind England coach Lancaster replaced two props Marler and Cole and starting scrumhalf Ben Youngs but it was the half-time introduction of George Ford, presumably for an injured May, that gave England more nuance in their attack. Farrell had been reasonably good but Ford’s distribution gave his backline more opportunities. Suddenly the home side were getting outside the Australian midfield and it was from just such an opportunity on 55 minutes that they dragged themselves back into the match with a cleverly worked try from Anthony Watson, the spade work done by hard carrying forwards and then Ford spotting the numbers out wide.
Farrell kicked a superb conversion and on 64 minutes added a penalty after a shocking pass from Wallabies’ replacement scrumhalf, his second in the same sequence of play - he’s got previous in that regard - put his team under horrendous pressure; England hacked on the loose ball and when the Aussies transgressed outside their 22, Farrell struck unerringly.
Australia had gone from attacking just outside the England 22 to standing beneath their posts. The English bench had given the team energy and momentum but Australia will reflect on some ultra sloppy play. It would be churlish not to acknowledge though the way England clawed a route back into the match, showing character and playing high-grade rugby.
Then it a moment of insanity England perished by their own hand, or shoulder with a moment of madness, shared by Farrell and replacement Sam Burgess on 70-minutes.
As Australia attacked the English 22-metre line, Farrell got in a cheap shot on Giteau and Burgess nearly decapitated Hooper; the latter was the worse offence but both players could have seen the bin. As it transpired Farrell did and England’s resurgence was becalmed. Foley kicked that penalty, tagged on another a few minutes later when England were penalized at a scrum and the only sound coming from the stands was ‘Waltzing Matilda.’
As if to acknowledge the support, the Aussies turned over possession for the umpteenth time at a breakdown and moved the ball the width of the field with precision, eventually allowing Giteau to race in for his side’s third try. Foley, well he landed the touchline conversion. A suitable epitaph for a monumental individual display and a brilliant Aussie performance.
Scoring sequence
7 mins: Foley penalty, 0-3; 12: Farrell penalty, 3-3; 19: Foley try, Foley conversion, 3-10; 34: Foley try, conversion, 3-17. Half-time: 3-17. 49: Foley penalty, 3-20; 55: Watson try, Farrell conversion, 10-20; 64: Farrell penalty, 13-20; 71: Foley penalty, 13-23; 75: Foley penalty, 13-26; Giteau try, Foley conversion, 33-13.
England: M Brown; A Watson, J Joseph, B Barritt, J May; O Farrell, B Youngs; J Marler, T Youngs, D Cole; J Launchbury, G Parling; T Wood, C Robshaw (capt), B Morgan. Replacements: G Ford for May half-time; R Wigglesworth for B Youngs 49 mins; M Vunipola for Marler 50 mins; K Brookes for Cole 53 mins; N Easter for Morgan 57 mins; R Webber for T Youngs 60 mins; S Burgess for Baritt 64 mins; G Kruis for Launchbury 68 mins.
Australia: I Folau; Adam Ashley-Cooper, T Kuridrani, M Giteau, R Horne; B Foley, W Genia; S Sio, S Moore (capt), S Kepu; K Douglas, R Simmons; S Fardy, M Hooper, D Pocock. Replacements: K Beale for Horne 10 mins; J Slipper for Sio 56 mins; G Holmes for Kepu 56 mins; N Phipps for Genia 61 mins; T Polota-Nau for Moore 64 mins; M Toomua for Folau 64 mins; D Mumm for Simmins 64 mins; B McCalman for Fardy 75 mins.
Referee: R Poite (France)
