England scrape past Aussies

England 32 Australia 31

Two wonderful tries from Ben Cohen and a dramatic second-half comeback saw England keep coach Clive Woodward’s World Cup dreams on course at Twickenham this afternoon.

Cohen scored a try in each half to bring his tally to an amazing 18 in 19 Tests for England in a match of such high tension and fluctuating fortunes that it would not have been out of place if it had been the World Cup final itself.

Jonny Wilkinson weighed in with six penalties and two conversions to cement his position as the best fly-half on the planet.

And the way they clawed their way back from 31-19 down halfway through the second-half was testament to the courage, skill and composure Woodward has instilled in this burgeoning England side.

When the final whistle went after six minutes of injury time both teams wrapped their arms around each other in recognition of a quite breathtaking encounter and Martin Johnson climbed the Twickenham steps to receive the Cook Cup.

Rarely has a trophy been fought for with greater determination. It had to be that way because this Australian side, who outscored England on the try front by three to two, proved exactly why they are the world champions and favourites to retain their trophy next season.

The fact that England have never conceded as many points in their history at rugby headquarters tells the battle they had on their hands.

And yet, we should not forget, this was England’s third win in a row against Australia and their seventh successive victory over the southern hemisphere’s tri-nations sides.

And if only one of those has been away from Twickenham – the triumph against South Africa in Bloemfontein – let’s not dilute today’s achievement on an afternoon when England had heroes in every corner of Twickenham.

None more so than Matt Dawson, who deservedly won the man-of-the-match award for a scrum-half performance of verve and intelligence, his darting breaks and brilliant defence a shining jewel in England’s display.

Richard Hill also set a fantastic example, driving in the loose and linking brilliantly with the backs.

Against New Zealand last week there was much made of the alleged second-string side fielded by the All Blacks.

No-one could accuse Australia of that this afternoon, especially as they were seeking to rectify the aberration of defeat against Ireland last week when their reputation drowned in a monsoon at Lansdowne Road.

As it was it was England, who went ahead after nine minutes, and it owed much to the composure of new wing James Simpson-Daniel.

Some concerted England pressure saw the ball swept along the line but the space was tight when it reached the Gloucester wing.

No matter, he stepped inside and brilliantly found his fellow wing Ben Cohen with an inside pass which left Cohen an easy jog to the line for his 17th try in 19 Tests, Wilkinson adding the conversion.

It was the perfect springboard, except that England contrived to somewhat spoil that flying start by giving away two needless technical penalties from which Aussie fullback Matt Burke reduced the arrears.

A huge penalty from inside his own half after 19 minutes saw Wilkinson stretch England’s lead once more but the pattern was developing – relentless England probing being repelled by stout Australian defence.

It was obvious who England considered to be Australia’s weakest link - right-wing Wendell Sailor, the former rugby league star who was playing only his fifth Test in the Union code. The home side targeted him with kicks over his head to make him turn and his uncertainty was apparent.

So was the cynicism of the Aussies after 35 minutes when a startling, dummying, 50-metres break from England scrum-half Dawson left fly-half Stephen Larkham clutching thin air.

From the ruck which ensued Australia deliberately smothered the ball to deny England an almost certain try and though referee Paul Honiss spoke to skipper George Gregan he did not reach for the yellow card which was deserved.

Still, Wilkinson slotted the penalty and added another before Australia subjected England to a period of intolerable pressure just before half-time.

The England defence, with Cohen and Wilkinson superb, seemed to have kept them out at the cost of a series of penalties.

Then in the eighth minute of injury time England finally capitulated, Larkham receiving quick ball from a scrum and slicing his way past centre Mike Tindall for the vital touchdown.

It was a painful time to concede a try and there would have been questions in the England defence at the cavernous hole the Aussies were allowed to exploit.

With Burke adding the conversion it left the match delicately poised with England enjoying a narrow 16-13 half-time advantage.

Within a minute of the restart Lawrence Dallaglio received a huge roar when he became the 13th England player to reach 50 caps, coming on for Richard Hill who was forced to visit the blood bin.

Pretty soon it got worse as the Aussies began to tear holes in the England defence. One put Larkham clear after 43 minutes and his long pass found Sailor out wide who bulldozed through Cohen and over the line.

The Aussies were beginning to take control and they hardly needed the luck which saw a ball spill out of a ruck straight to centre Elton Flatley, who accepted the gift, if you can call it that considering he still had 80 metres to race to the line.

A Burke penalty put Australia further ahead and within 10 minutes the gold shirts had gone from a three-point deficit to a 12-point advantage – almost unheard of at the top echelons of international rugby.

Cue the England comeback and they don’t come much more thrilling – two Wilkinson penalties, Cohen’s 18th try in those 19 Tests and a Wilkinson conversion giving England a one-point advantage after 80 minutes.

It could have gone either way. It would have gone Australia’s if Burke had not missed a straightforward penalty, albeit from long-range. But it would have been a travesty.

In the end England were deserved winners. Now bring on South Africa next week and no-one should bet against an England hat-trick over the southern hemisphere.