ENGLAND’S WORLD CUP campaign has provided us with high drama, sensational entertainment and a Twickenham atmosphere that almost burst the eardrums.
But it has also left Stuart Lancaster facing extreme pressure after the English ensured they will fail to advance from the pool stages of the World Cup. A week after allowing Wales to dominate the second half in the famous London venue, Lancaster’s men were flattened in the first 40 by Michael Chieka’s Wallabies.
The Wallabies were by far the better team. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
England are the first host nation of a World Cup not to make the quarter-finals.
There was a hint of an unbelievable comeback from England this evening after Anthony Watson slammed over for an impressive second-half try, but a yellow card for out-half Owen Farrell, a deserved one for a late shot on Matt Giteau, ended that hope.
Matt Giteau’s last-minute breakaway try put the final seal on a depressing and worrying day for English rugby.
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Bernard Foley was sublime for the Australians opposite Farrell, scoring all of but five of their points and constantly threatening the English defence with his darting running game and clever passing.
The breakdown work of David Pocock bordered on the obscene as he utterly obliterated Chris Robshaw and the England back row, ably assisted by his openside Michael Hooper in that particular battle.
Referee Romain Poite finally punished England loosehead Joe Marler for his longstanding illegal angles at scrum time, allowing the Wallabies to come out on top in that department too.
Lancaster was booed after the final whistle. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
The second of Foley’s two tries for Australia was an absolute beauty, with Cheika’s side bouncing back against the grain at a ruck to the left of the posts and around 22m out from the England tryline.
Replacement Kurtley Beale came with Foley on the inside shoulder, accepting a deft pass to burst through England’s defence and then returning the favour to Foley after drawing in the last man.
Foley’s first score saw him scythe past the otherwise excellent Joe Launchbury, but it was the footwork and offload of tighthead Sekope Kepu that made the score shortly before.
Apart from a wobbly second-half patch that was largely down to the panic sub scrum-half Nick Phipps brought onto the pitch, Cheika’s Wallabies were mightily impressive, playing the game at a frightening pace at times.
Their scoreboard dominance in the end was fully deserved and they have underlined their potential as outright winners in this World Cup. The Wallabies move forward with huge confidence and form, but for England the inquest will be nightmarish.
Foley was sublime for the Wallabies. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
Lancaster will face tough questions about his future after another failure at Twickenham. You wouldn’t envy the England head coach his position right now.
England scorers:
Tries:Anthony Watson
Conversions:Owen Farrell (1 from 1)
Penalties:Owen Farrell (2 from 2)
Australia scorers:
Tries:Bernard Foley (2), Matt Giteau
Conversions:Bernard Foley (3 from 3)
Penalties:Bernard Foley (4 from 4)
ENGLAND: Mike Brown; Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Brad Barritt (Sam Burgess ’65), Jonny May (George Ford ‘ht); Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs (Richard Wigglesworth ’50); Joe Marler (Mako Vunipola ’50), Tom Youngs (Rob Webber ’61), Dan Cole (Kieran Brookes ’54); Joe Launchbury (George Kruis ’69), Geoff Parling; Tom Wood, Chris Robshaw, Ben Morgan (Nick Easter ’58).
AUSTRALIA: Israel Folau (Matt Toomua ’66); Adam Ashley-Cooper, Tevita Kuridrani, Matt Giteau, Rob Horne (Kurtley Beale ’11); Bernard Foley, Will Genia (Nick Phipps ’61); Scott Sio (James Slipper ’58), Stephen Moore (Tatafu Polota-Nau ’65), Sekope Kepu (Greg Holmes); Kane Douglas, Rob Simmons (Dean Mumm); Scott Fardy (Ben McCalman), Michael Hooper, David Pocock.
England crash out of World Cup after Wallabies rip up Twickenham
England 13
Australia 33
Murray Kinsella reports from Twickenham
ENGLAND’S WORLD CUP campaign has provided us with high drama, sensational entertainment and a Twickenham atmosphere that almost burst the eardrums.
But it has also left Stuart Lancaster facing extreme pressure after the English ensured they will fail to advance from the pool stages of the World Cup. A week after allowing Wales to dominate the second half in the famous London venue, Lancaster’s men were flattened in the first 40 by Michael Chieka’s Wallabies.
England are the first host nation of a World Cup not to make the quarter-finals.
There was a hint of an unbelievable comeback from England this evening after Anthony Watson slammed over for an impressive second-half try, but a yellow card for out-half Owen Farrell, a deserved one for a late shot on Matt Giteau, ended that hope.
Matt Giteau’s last-minute breakaway try put the final seal on a depressing and worrying day for English rugby.
Bernard Foley was sublime for the Australians opposite Farrell, scoring all of but five of their points and constantly threatening the English defence with his darting running game and clever passing.
The breakdown work of David Pocock bordered on the obscene as he utterly obliterated Chris Robshaw and the England back row, ably assisted by his openside Michael Hooper in that particular battle.
Referee Romain Poite finally punished England loosehead Joe Marler for his longstanding illegal angles at scrum time, allowing the Wallabies to come out on top in that department too.
The second of Foley’s two tries for Australia was an absolute beauty, with Cheika’s side bouncing back against the grain at a ruck to the left of the posts and around 22m out from the England tryline.
Replacement Kurtley Beale came with Foley on the inside shoulder, accepting a deft pass to burst through England’s defence and then returning the favour to Foley after drawing in the last man.
Foley’s first score saw him scythe past the otherwise excellent Joe Launchbury, but it was the footwork and offload of tighthead Sekope Kepu that made the score shortly before.
Apart from a wobbly second-half patch that was largely down to the panic sub scrum-half Nick Phipps brought onto the pitch, Cheika’s Wallabies were mightily impressive, playing the game at a frightening pace at times.
Their scoreboard dominance in the end was fully deserved and they have underlined their potential as outright winners in this World Cup. The Wallabies move forward with huge confidence and form, but for England the inquest will be nightmarish.
Lancaster will face tough questions about his future after another failure at Twickenham. You wouldn’t envy the England head coach his position right now.
ENGLAND: Mike Brown; Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Brad Barritt (Sam Burgess ’65), Jonny May (George Ford ‘ht); Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs (Richard Wigglesworth ’50); Joe Marler (Mako Vunipola ’50), Tom Youngs (Rob Webber ’61), Dan Cole (Kieran Brookes ’54); Joe Launchbury (George Kruis ’69), Geoff Parling; Tom Wood, Chris Robshaw, Ben Morgan (Nick Easter ’58).
AUSTRALIA: Israel Folau (Matt Toomua ’66); Adam Ashley-Cooper, Tevita Kuridrani, Matt Giteau, Rob Horne (Kurtley Beale ’11); Bernard Foley, Will Genia (Nick Phipps ’61); Scott Sio (James Slipper ’58), Stephen Moore (Tatafu Polota-Nau ’65), Sekope Kepu (Greg Holmes); Kane Douglas, Rob Simmons (Dean Mumm); Scott Fardy (Ben McCalman), Michael Hooper, David Pocock.
Referee: Romain Poite.
Attendance: 81,080.
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