A DREAM TURNS TO A NIGHTMARE

Error-riddled England crash out as Aussies serve up a humiliation that humbles the hosts

ALL that time. All that money. All that talk. And in the end? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

On the biggest night of their lives, England were humiliated. Out of the World Cup after just three matches.

Stuart Lancaster’s men became the first host nation ever to fail to reach the knockout stages.

They are the first England team to fail to reach the knockouts.

The first winners of the trophy not to reach the knockouts. Shall I go on? OK. This was a defeat of seismic proportions. The recriminations will be long, painful and detailed. It is impossible to see Lancaster surviving while captain Chris Robshaw, for all his graft and honest endeavour, was exposed so badly as an openside flanker last night it was embarrassing to watch.

Australia outclassed England in every single aspect of this game, not least the breakdown where David Pocock, Michael Hooper and Scott Fardy treated England’s back row like children. Four years after Martin Johnson was sacked for failing to reach a semi-final, Lancaster’s position is under massive pressure.

The richest union in the world has pumped millions of pounds into making this work. And it has failed. Spectacularly. In front of 80,080 fans, some of whom had paid £315 a ticket, England barely fired a shot.

It was a catastrophic night for everyone concerned with English rugby. We’ve heard that before haven’t we?

England had spent the past seven days defending themselves from a barrage of criticism following Robshaw’s ill-advised decision to kick to touch, and not at goal, in the dying minutes of their defeat to Wales. Lancaster insisted they were united. He insisted the whole squad was behind Robshaw. He insisted his team were ready.

But until the first whistle blew last night it was all just words. No stone had been left unturned, we were told, no single drop of sweat wasted in training. Lancaster and his team had wanted for nothing, and yet it came down to this.

With Billy Vunipola injured in last week’s defeat, Ben Morgan started at No 8 against Australia. Joe Launchbury replaced Courtney Lawes at lock while Jonathan Joseph returned at outside centre in place of the much-maligned Sam Burgess.

Never before had so much rested on the outcome of a World Cup pool game. For Lancaster’s England, this was do-or-die time. For Robshaw, this was his Everest.

England had beaten Australia on their past two visits. They knew they could beat Michael Cheika’s men if they hit their straps. Without a trophy in four years under Lancaster, exiting the pool stages was unthinkable for the head coach and those who appointed him.

The anthems were sung with a fervour never before seen at Twickenham. If Lancaster has achieved one thing, it has been uniting the country behind his team. But did the country have a team worthy of it? We were about to find out.

Within four minutes, England were under pressure. Full-back Mike Brown misjudged a Bernard Foley kick and stepped into touch five metres from England’s line. As Australia whipped the ball wide, Israel Folau only had to draw Brown and pass to Rob Horne for a certain score. But he delayed, Brown committed, and the chance went begging.

The Wallabies did take the lead when England were penalised for offside and Foley kicked three points.

England’s scrum, accused of malpractice by former Australia coach Bob Dwyer this week, dominated the early exchanges.

A penalty awarded by Romain Poite on 12 minutes saw Owen Farrell level the scores at 3-3 but Australia came back hard and following a sustained spell of pressure in England’s 22, it felt like something had to give.

A powerful charge by Pocock and clever handling by the Wallaby backs saw the ball worked to Foley, who dummied Ben Youngs with ridiculous ease and stepped his way over the line. The Wallaby fly-half converted his own try to make it 10-3 after 21 minutes.

Australia’s scrum became more competitive as the half wore on and Poite twice penalised the England eight, while the Wallabies also began to take charge of the breakdown.

Then on 34 minutes, England’s defence was ripped apart with alarming ease as Foley and replacement Kurtley Beale — on for the injured Horne — exchanged passes in the midfield to put the fly-half in for his second try.

Foley’s conversion made it 17-3. England and Lancaster were staring into the abyss.

England knew Pocock and Hooper would be a menace at the breakdown but seemed powerless to prevent them snaffling possession.

George Ford replaced injured Jonny May at half-time, forcing a reshuffle of England’s back-line with the Bath player only able to play No 10. Farrell moved to inside-centre, Brad Barritt to outside and Joseph to the wing.

Ford’s first contribution saw him kick the ball straight down Australian throats as the Wallabies showed no sign of relenting.

Joe Marler was penalised again for boring in at the scrum and Foley put Australia 20-3 in front following the prop’s latest indiscretion. It proved his last as Marler was replaced by Mako Vunipola.

Suddenly, on 56 minutes, there was hope. England’s forwards managed quick ball and it was worked wide to Anthony Watson on the right and he ducked inside and powered through Foley’s tackle. Farrell converted from wide out to make it 20-10.

Somehow England clung on with Farrell kicking another penalty to reduce the deficit to seven with 15 minutes to play.

But when Farrell was sent to the sin bin for an illegal hit on Matt Giteau — who should have been off the field five minutes earlier after being knocked senseless — and Foley kicked the penalty, the game was up. Another penalty and a late Giteau try completed the humiliation.