Australia v England LIVE rugby: Result and reaction as Wallabies win despite Darcy Swain red card
Follow all the reaction from the first Test of England’s summer tour
England went down 30-28 to Australia in a rollercoaster first game of the three-match series in Perth on Saturday.
The Wallabies’ win snaps an eight-match losing streak against their old rivals despite the loss of lock Darcy Swain to a red card before half-time.
Winger Jordan Petaia, hooker Folau Fainga’a and loose forward Pete Samu scored tries in the last quarter as Australia recorded their first win over England since knocking the co-hosts out of the 2015 World Cup.
Samu’s try took Australia to a 30-14 lead but England debutants Henry Arundell and Jack van Poortvliet scored tries in the dying minutes to make the scoreline more respectable.
The series continues over the next two weeks with tests at Brisbane’s Lang Park and the Sydney Cricket Ground. Follow all the reaction with our live blog:
And some thoughts from Michael Hooper
“With all those things that happened, you can’t plan for that. I’m proud of our coaching staff to come up with a plan and our guys to partially execute that tonight.
“We’ll break down the game, what worked, what didn’t, how we can flip that around in seven days time. We know there will be a different beast coming and we’re expecting to improve as well.””
A disappointed Courtney Lawes speaks to Sky Sports
“Very disappointed obviously. We came with a strategy that we didn’t execute, and Australia were the better team, so fair play to them.
“We spoke about discipline and we didn’t execute on that front. That let us down. Our defence wasn’t good enough today, but we played some good rugby. That’s the good thing, we’ve got a chance to right our wrongs [next week].”
F/T! Australia 30-28 England
Well wasn’t that all rather fun. A 6-6 half-time arm-wrestle gave way to a proper back-and-forth ding-dong battle after the interval, with Australia showing heaps of quality and fight to take control of the game. The 14-man Wallabies were deserving winners after a day when all seemed to be going wrong for Dave Rennie’s side, and claim their first win over England since the 2015 World Cup. Eddie Jones’ winning streak against his old employers is over.
TRY! Australia 30-28 ENGLAND (Jack van Poortvliet try, 83 minutes)
Another try on debut - this time it is Jack van Poortvliet. It is all too little, too late for England, who nonetheless finish with a youthful flourish as the young Leicester scrum-half finds space as he snipes from the base of a ruck and makes the final score appear rather more favourable than England deserve.
Owen Farrell’s conversion is the last action.
Australia 30-21 England, 82 minutes
He’s at it again! Australia have a man in the bin for a deliberate knock-on and Arundell bursts through the Australian defensive line with his trademark shimmy, just about dragged down five out. Another penalty to England, who tap and go...
TRY! Australia 30-21 ENGLAND (Henry Arundell try, 80 minutes)
How about that from Henry Arundell? That is some first touch with ball-in-hand in international rugby from a true potential superstar. There appears little on as he is given the ball on the left, and even less as he directs himself for two Australian shoulders.
But there’s real power in Arundell’s seemingly slighter frame, and he wriggles free from both tacklers, fixing the feet of the last man with a feinted step and producing a moment of individual class. Owen Farrell converts as the clock ticks towards eighty.
TRY! AUSTRALIA 30-14 England (Pete Samu try, 78 minutes)
Pete Samu is over, and it will be 1-0 Australia! England are properly slipping and sliding out of this contest, ever in retreat as Australia play not to see it out but for the telling last blow. Samu Kerevi introduces Henry Arundell to international rugby, knocking the youngster back and nearly driving right o’er-the-top of him, and Samu deftly waves the red cape in front of a lunging Lewis Ludlam, avoiding the horns of the English tackler and crossing for the score to certainly seal it.
Noah Lolesio converts.
Australia 23-14 England, 76 minutes
Jake Gordon will take on scrum-half duties for the remaining five minutes or so, with Nic White taking a seat after a typically collected performance.
Any last hope for England? Australia are doubtful, Noah Lolesio very nearly putting this one fully to bed as he shuffles and sprints for a half-gap. The fly-half is just about hauled back.
Australia 23-14 England, 74 minutes
What a scrum from Australia! This is a manhandling, A tiring Will Stuart absolutely munched by Scott Sio with no flanker for support and the ball is already Australia’s when the penalty also goes their way.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies