England 40-16 Australia: Talking points from England’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final victory
Later England secured a Rugby World Cup semi-final since 2007 with a fun 40-16 win over Australia in Oita we look at the talking points.
Eddie Jones’ side notched tries by wing Jonny May (2 ), tighthead prop Kyler Sinckler and reverse wing Anthony Watson in a superbly-clinical display.
This is the thing stood out following a milestone Evaluation game performance in Japan’s deep south…
If one component to this Test match has been siphoned, it was the importance of turnovers and the excellence in this aspect of England.
The Wallabies, the abilities of the likes of David Pocock and so famous for their work and Michael Hooper across the ball, were outshone in this regard, and it revealed their undoing.
Flankers Tom Curry and Sam Underhill – England’s own variation on the double threat that is openside-flanker of Australia – were the outstanding players around the pitch and generated moments together with other members of enormous significance of their pack.
Underhill made 20 tackles, while Curry made 16 and the pair combined to disrupt and turn over ball.
Australia went 3-0 ahead until Underhill got England into the game in the restart because his statement tackle on the Wallabies’ main forwards ball carrier, Isi Naisarani, cut on the No 8 in half and hauled Australia back after their positive beginning.
Wallabies tighthead Allan Alaalatoa knocked on in his 22 a phase later, where England made two enormous opportunities down the leftfirst, centre Henry Slade neglected to make use of a four-on-two overload, before hooker Jamie George also failed to locate May on an overlap moments afterwards down the blindside. May need to score the first attempt in another strike.
Since the first half drew to a close, England consolidated their lead since Curry finished eight stages of Australia assault in their half with a turnover 32 minutes, even before Curry and Underhill combined on 33 minutes: Curry with all the massive hit, Underhill interrupting on the floor, to induce a knock and win back the ball again. The Wallabies were being suffocated by it.
On 49 minutes, induce the maul, Billy and George Vunipola combined to hold Alaalatoa up and turn the ball over , before England won a resultant scrum punishment and kicked on three points.
For the time with the ball of many Australia, it had been getting pinched or stolen as it mattered.
Also the most crucial moment in the game, and also the most important example of this, was about 61 minutes. Australia, having brought the game back to a point at the start of the second, were again to bring back the match into a score. Shots double turned down for kicking to touch to get a lineout about 55 minutes assaulting set-pieces and calling that a scrum about 57 minutes.
But it all proved futile when ownership of Naisarani metres ripped straight back out of his after nine stages, earning ownership for England, before Will Genia knocked at the next ruck near halfway following England’s clearance kick.
Were Australia to have scored – since they seemed likely to perform – the game could have been back to four factors and also the Wallabies’ tails perking up. They were deflated and from that minute on, there was no way back Because it was. Turnovers were the key.
Were it not to the clinical nature with which they shot their tries, and their knack of forcing turnovers that were critical from the Evaluation, England would have been at a little bit of trouble – that is exactly what the stats point to.
Regardless of the dominant scoreline – perhaps not a reflection of this quarter-final in all truth – on newspaper, England were instant best in nearly all locations that are applicable.
On the face of it it was a strange contest. Australia dominated ownership (64 percent ), territory (55 percent ) gained far more metres in assault (568m to England’s 274m), created more than double the carries (151 into 71),’d greater gain-line achievement (57 to 36), conceded fewer penalties (five to England’s eight) and missed less tackles (12 to England’s 21).
Ball turned into at moments in areas and also forced 12 Australia managing mistakes as mentioned above, however.
Head coach Jones spent the vast majority of the England warm-up watching and position Australia intensely dismissing his players. It was a focus and manner his side shot on the pitch.
The caveat to a performance, is that England will know if they are to give up to the All Blacks up to ownership , they will get beaten in the previous four.
Give New Zealand that spell of time on the ball, that opportunity create line-breaks and conquer and to gain yards is really a near-inevitability. Another performance: less defensive and more ownership protective is required.
It never stops to amaze how much can change in a year inside sport. This time Jones’ England were away from the rear of a Six Nations campaign during which they had been swept apart from Scotland in Edinburgh, France at Paris and Ireland at Twickenham.
They embarked on a summer series before claiming the next to lose 2-1, in which they had been dispatched in the first two Tests to go down 2-0.
And over South Africa at Twickenham, England maintained a success in November of this past year after being thoroughly outplayed.
In each of these they seemed anything but World Cup contenders. However, roll into 2019, shake things up a little in terms of team selection (George, Curry, Slade all-in ) and get some important players back from injury (Underhill, Tuilagi, Billy Vunipola, Watson) – England today look like the actual thing.
It all began in February of the year, even when they went to Dublin and conquer against Ireland – then defending Grand Slam winners and off the back of beating New Zealand in the autumn – enjoying some rugby that was glorious.
England came in vain into the World Cup, and could not be more confident after brushing Australia.
In the other end of matters, the conquer presumably means the end of Michael Cheika’s colourful Australia tenure. It’s possible they have shown World Cup guarantee, but ultimately lost their two matches : to Wales from Pool D and England.
They end 2019 using four losses out of 10 Tests (a few of those six victories coming against Argentina, Uruguay, Fiji and Samoa), while Australia’s 2018 effort was their worst because Cheika took over in October 2014, as they won only four from 13 Tests.
Previous campaigns under Cheika had yielded seven wins from 2017 and 10 drops in 2015, six successes in 2016 and only two reductions. They have not enhanced under the under-fire and combustible Aussie.
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