Cheika can’t keep up with Jones
ENGLAND confirmed their remarkable transformation from World Cup misfits to global contenders with a gutsy, backs-to-the-wall victory to record their first series win in Australia and to leapfrog the Wallabies to second in the world rankings.
It was a defiant 23-7 win over the Wallabies in the second test match in Melbourne yesterday.
And it was a triumph of English spirit and resilience, of guts and grit.
Played eight, won eight under Eddie Jones, the man and his team can do no wrong.
The Six Nations champions, who conquered the second-ranked Wallabies 39-28 in the opening test in Brisbane, defended magnificently in the second half and then sealed the win through a late Owen Farrell try.
Farrell, who was shifted to insidecentre for the second game, contributed 18 points with his try, two conversions and three penalty goals.
By winning, England retained the Cook Cup.
England led 10-7 at half time, but had to defend for long periods in the second half as the hosts probed for the breakthrough try. It never came.
It was yet another tactical masterpiece by England’s Australian coach Jones, who again out-marshalled counterpart Michael Cheika.
The Wallabies scored four tries in last week’s defeat, but could only muster one this time through skipper Stephen Moore. The series will finish with a dead rubber third game in Sydney next Saturday.
England’s powerful pack struck first blood midway through the half when skipper Dylan Hartley scored off a rolling maul close to the Wallabies line for a 7-0 lead.
The supporters willed their team on singing “Sweet Chariot” as the Wallabies made handling errors.
The English scrum showed their dominance by wheeling the Wallabies to get a psychological penalty to take play back into home territory.
Farrell kicked England further ahead with a 31st-minute penalty.
But the Wallabies struck back with the Australian pack pushing over for a try for skipper Moore with Bernard Foley landing the conversion from wide five minutes before half time.
England began the second half strongly. Foley was penalised after a linesman intervention and Farrell kicked England six points clear.
England clinched the game and the series when Farrell toed ahead a loose ball and won the chase to dive
New Zealand maintained world rugby’s longest winning streaks
on the ball. He converted to put England out of reach by 13 points.
Farrell kicked another penalty on the siren to ice the victory.
In Wellington, New Zealand produced a great second-half display to defeat Wales 36-22 in the second test yesterday and maintain one of world rugby’s longest winning streaks.
The world champions ran in five tries to three to claim the three-test series with a match to spare and clinch their 28th straight win over Wales, dating back to 1953.
Valiant Wales kept pace with New Zealand for 51 minutes but had no answers when the All Blacks went up a notch, orchestrated by Beauden Barrett and Aaron Smith.
Wales coach Warren Gatland said his side was competitive but a threetry burst early in the second half effectively sealed the result for the New Zealanders. — ©