PACKING A PUNCH
George backs ferocious England forwards to batter Aussies... AGAIN!
JAMIE GEORGE has urged England’s pack to carry on next weekend where they left off – and reopen the psychological scars they have inflicted on the Wallabies.
England’s big forwards laid the platform for this win to level the series and set up the decider in Sydney by mauling Australia to death.
Richard Cockerill, the former Leicester coach now Eddie Jones’ forwards’ guru, has revitalised the driving play and they pounded the hosts.
Prop Ellis Genge set the tone with his charge at Australian captain Michael Hooper early on and Billy Vunipola and Co carried on the physical domination. Hooker George reckons the Aussies could be mentally damaged after their mangling and claims England need to do the same at the SCG on Saturday.
“Eddie said that in the lead-up and he knows the Wallabies better than anyone,” said George.
“You almost dent their psyche. It’s something we’ve been working on for a long time.
“Richard Cockerill is a pretty stern coach and he has high expectations, we’ve worked on it and it paid dividends.
“Our forwards fronted up well and our maul was excellent. Not many teams have mauled Australia like that and that kept us in the game when we took our foot off their throat. We need to back that up.
“You see the big players standing up – Gengey making that carry and the way Billy carried in the first half. That’s what leadership is.”
This triumph was worlds apart from the 30-28 opening defeat in Perth.
Loose-head Genge won his set-to with the so-called Tongan Thor, Taniela Tupou.
Hooper was anonymous in the face of a rejuvenated England back row and Courtney Lawes led from the front.
Genge apart, no one took it to the Wallabies like the resurgent No.8 Vunipola in his second Test back from exile as England bounced back from their disappointment in Perth.
George knows the back-row better than most from a decade at Saracens and had no doubt his mate would deliver when the chips were down.
“He’s hungry, he’s determined, but it doesn’t surprise me” said George. “He’s been like that for a long time. He drives the team forward, he wants the ball, he knows what his role is and he goes out and does that.”
Vunipola opened the scoring after five minutes, crashing over from a crafty line-out move and England, thanks to Owen Farrell’s boot were very quickly 19-0 up.
Tupou got one back before the break and when Wallaby centre Samu Kerevi scored a walk-in it was all hands to the pump to stay in the series.
England’s new-look back line held out, Farrell kicked his sixth penalty and it all goes down to the wire in five days time.