Australia v England LIVE rugby: Result and reaction as England win deciding Test
Follow live updates as England beat Australia in a huge series decider at the Sydney Cricket Ground
England outwitted and outfought an error-prone Australia 21-17 to win their July series 2-, a second success for northern hemisphere rugby after Ireland’s earlier triumph over the All Blacks.
Young guns Freddie Steward and Marcus Smith scored the tries and England’s streetwise pack bossed the breakdown as coach Eddie Jones masterminded a second series victory over his own country after their 3-0 sweep in 2016.
Australia scored tries through Tom Wright and Folau Fainga’a in front of a sellout crowd of 43,274 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but the home side’s accuracy deserted them too frequently at crucial moments.
Australia won the opening test 30-28 in Perth but England struck back with a 25-17 victory in Brisbane to take the series to Saturday’s decider.
Follow live reaction from the Australia vs England series decider below:
TRY! SOUTH AFRICA 10-0 Wales (Handre Pollard try, 15 minutes)
And his fly-half completes the job! Hendrikse was hasty in tapping just as Matt Carley appeared set to give Wales a final warning about their scrum-time conduct, but his gamble pays off.
The scrum-half provides sharp service as the big bodies create craters up the centre. South Africa play wider, and Handre Pollard takes Hendrikse’s pass and burrows between two Welsh tacklers to dive over. Pollard adds the extra two.
South Africa 3-0 Wales, 13 minutes
Wales are penalised again and this time Jaden Hendrikse taps and goes quickly! Wales somehow halt the little scrum-half, who passes the baton over to his forwards...
South Africa 3-0 Wales, 12 minutes
Pressure on Wales’ eight again and Gareth Thomas is penalised. Frans Malherbe is a great boulder of a man and he is winning the intial hit, turning Thomas in.
South Africa, unsurprisingly, fancy another heave-ho.
South Africa 3-0 Wales, 11 minutes
Six heads hit the deck as the two front rows struggle to keep their feet. The suggestion from all interested parties were that it would be tough to stay up at scrum time on a turf known to churn up.
South Africa 3-0 Wales, 10 minutes
Wales are marched back at a rate of knots on this occasion and South Africa have the advantage. Jasper Wiese bristles away in search of more, but is just about held.
Around the corner pile the forwards, with Wiese again carrying close to the posts. But it all goes awry, Handre Pollard running out of options and prodding meekly into the belly of a Welshman in front of him.
South Africa will scrum again.
South Africa 3-0 Wales, 9 minutes
A huge test for the Welsh front row as South Africa look to attack this scrum. The Springboks are perhaps fortunate that their lunge on set, which appears to unsteady things, results only in a reset rather than a free kick to the Welsh.
The front rows will try again.
No try! South Africa 3-0 Wales, 8 minutes
Just short? De Allende had kept his legs pumping and the timely arrival of Lukhanyo Am propelled him onwards, and while the suspicion is that the nose of the ball might just have brushed a painted blade of grass, there isn’t an angle that shows it.
The on-field call is no try - and it will stay that way. South Africa scrum five out.
Try? Damian de Allende looks to be just short, but this one is going upstairs to the TMO
South Africa’s maul had advanced to within a couple of metres, and a powerful surge from De Allende got the Springboks closer still. But did he place it over the line?
South Africa 3-0 Wales, 7 minutes
Damian Willemse claims and nearly scores! South Africa are getting such aerial joy, this time their full-back haring up on the chase and cutting beautiful shapes in the Cape Town air, beating a grounded Dan Biggar. Biggar holds on desperately to an ankle as Willemse eyes the line - and concedes the penalty as Willemse tries to release and go again. South Africa kick into the left corner, from where they’ll launch a mighty rumble.
South Africa 3-0 Wales, 6 minutes
This is an electric start from South Africa. Again they steal ball in the air and Eben Etzebeth stomps around Nick Tompkins, threatening to burn the centre on the outside. A stray pass ends the movement but Wales look rocked by this fast start.
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