England hold on to claim Ella-Mobbs Cup

Sat, Jul 16, 2022, 11:50 AM
Nathan Williamson
by Nathan Williamson
The Wallabies and England faced off in the decider at the SCG.

England have claimed the Ella-Mobbs Cup with a 21-17 victory over the Wallabies at the SCG.

Dave Rennie's men looked damaging to start the game as Tom Wright scored the first try of the game.

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However, tries to Freddie Steward and Marcus Smith either side of the break helped build a commanding lead.

Whilst a late Folau Fainga'a try gave the 43,274-strong crowd some hope, the English were clinical at the end of the game to seal the victory and the series.

"I don't think we were clinical (enough). We created good opportunities tonight,just not good enough to finish them," Wallabies captain Michael Hooper said after the match.

"There were some areas and big moments before half time that hurt us...pleasing elements but it really hurts. We grinded, played some good footy but we didn't execute how we wanted."

Dave Rennie stressed the importance of starting strong and got it instantly via Nick Frost as he charged down a kick in the first minute.

Whilst the hosts looked the more threatening side in the first quarter, they struggled to make the final pass stick as chance after chance went begging, with Noah Lolesio missing an early penalty.

A Taniela Tupou break failed to find Frost in support before Tommy Freeman's effort was shut down by some great cover defence.

England eventually capitalise on a loose penalty as Owen Farrell made no mistake to open the scoring.

Needing a spark, the two Wallaby wingers combined for a brilliant opening try.

Marika Koroibete started the break as he bumped off a tackler and threw a great ball to Tom Wright, making the break from his own half. The Brumby charged into space before a one-two with Nic White allowes Wright to dive over in the corner.

Koroibete repeatedly caused the English nightmares as the two teams traded penalties, breaking tackle after tackle.

Eddie Jones showed his frustration with their sloppy start, pulling Danny Care before the break. This had its desired effect after a Farrell penalty thumped the post and gave England possession inside the 22, with Freddie Steward diving over in the corner for a 11-10 lead.

Another penalty from Farrell extended the margin after the break as the English forwards started to gain ascendancy.

The Wallabies’ sloppy fundamentals came back to haunt them as a loose lineout saw the ball land in Marcus Smith’s hands as he ran 60 metres to score.

Needing a response, the Wallabies eventually found their way over as Folau Fainga’a charged over after some strong breaks.

With the game in the balance, the hosts pushed for an answer as Tom Wright made another great break.

In the end, the English found a way to constantly get the turnover with the Wallabies in promising positions.

As the game winded down, one late chance for the Wallabies went begging as Courtney Lawes got over the ball and won the turnover, sealing the series.

ENGLAND 21

TRIES: Steward, Smith

CONS: Farrell 1/2

PENS: Farrell 3/4

WALLABIES 17

TRIES: Wright, Fainga'a

CONS: Lolesio 2/2

PENS: Lolesio 1/2

WALLABIES V ENGLAND TEAMS

Australia: 15 Reece Hodge, 14 Tom Wright, 13 Hunter Paisami, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Nic White, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Michael Hooper (captain), 6 Harry Wilson, 5 Matt Philip, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 David Porecki, 1 James Slipper.

Replacements: 16 Folau Fainga’a, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Rob Leota, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Len Ikitau, 23 Suliasi Vunivalu.

England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Guy Porter, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Danny Care, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Lewis Ludlam, 6 Courtney Lawes (captain), 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Ollie Chessum, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ellis Genge

Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Jack Willis, 21 Jack van Poortvliet, 22 Will Joseph, 23 Henry Arundell.

Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)

Assistant referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland), James Doleman (New Zealand)

TMO: Chris Hart (New Zealand)

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