AUSTRALIA HAND JOHNSON'S ENGLAND A LESSON IN DISCIPLINE
Martin Johnson tasted defeat for the first time as England manager while old adversaries Australia dished out a lesson on how to play disciplined rugby to his new-look team under the gaze of a 82,000 capacity Twickenham. Australian fly-half Matt Giteau knocked over six penalties and full-back Adam Ashley-Cooper scored a second-half converted try to seal the 28-14 win.
Johnson, the 38-year-old former lock, had lifted the World Cup five years ago in Sydney against the Australians, when England - and Jonny Wilkinson - provided a composed and clinical display. He will have not have been impressed by the young England team's error-strewn display on Saturday.
England’s indiscipline at the breakdown handed the Australians five penalties before the interval, and 26-year-old Giteau took advantage, missing only one. Home captain Steve Borthwick was the culprit twice and other misdemeanours by Tom Rees, Phil Vickery and Paul Sackey cost the home team.
The green and gold No10 took his team to 6-0 up after only five minutes before his opposite number, Daniel Cipriani, had his first attempt on 13 minutes after flanker George Smith had been deemed to bring the ruck down. From half-way the Wasps youngster fluffed his kick on an afternoon he will want to forget. The Australians had targeted the 21-year-old who was making only his third start in an England shirt. Never before had he been tested by a team of this calibre, and the jury will still be out on whether the starlet has what it takes to be the very best in the world.
There were glimpses of his magic, and twice he dashed through the 10 / 12 gap with galloping glee. Cipriani’s first such gallop, after 21 minutes, almost gleaned his side a try. But in the second faze, 10 metres out from the Australian line, No8 Nick Easter would have wished to have had someone quicker than hooker Lee Mears outside him, and could only grimace as the Bath No2 was bundled into touch.
It was full-back Delon Armitage, last weekend’s man-of-the-match in the flattering 39-13 win over the Pacific Islanders, who opened the scoring a minute later with an ugly but effective drop-goal. Giteau then served up two more penalties before England made the most of their vastly superior possession and scored five minutes before the break.
Easter, the Harlequins back-rower, barged over from close range on the right, but Cipriani again missed with the conversion. On the stroke of half-time the England No10 did make amends, slotting a penalty to take the score to a knife-edge 11-12.
Cipriani nudged the home side in front 11 minutes after the break with another penalty but that was to be Johnson’s team’s last points of the afternoon. Giteau stroked over another one four minutes later and the Australians did not look back. The Western Force fly-half, the highest paid player in the Southern Hemisphere, proved his worth again kicking two more penalties, conceded for English indiscipline once more.
With 10 minutes remaining, and the score at 21-14, Australian quick hands outdid a fatigued England defensive line. Ashley-Cooper dived over in the right-hand corner to score his seventh international try. Giteau, of course, added the extra two points with chalk on his boots to take his game tally to 20.
Johnson will have much to chew over, and his side will need to improve their discipline in the coming weeks as they take on the supposedly better Southern Hemisphere teams of South Africa, the world champions, and finally New Zealand.
England
Tries: Easter
Conversions: Cipriani 0 (1)
Penalties: Cipriani 3 (4)
Australia
Tries: Ashley-Cooper
Conversions: Giteau 1 (1)
Penalties: Giteau 6 (7)
England: D Armitage (London Irish); P Sackey (Wasps), J Noon (Newcastle), R Flutey (Wasps), U Monye (Harlequins); D Cipriani (Wasps), D Care (Harlequins); A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), L Mears (Bath), P Vickery (Wasps), S Borthwick (Saracens, capt), T Palmer (Wasps), T Croft (Leicester), T Rees (Wasps), N Easter (Harlequins).
Replacements: D Hartley (Northampton), M Stevens (Bath), S Shaw (Wasps), J Haskell (Wasps), M Lipman (Bath), H Ellis (Leicester), T Flood (Leicester).
Australia: A Ashley-Cooper (ACT Brumbies); P Hynes (Queensland Reds), R Cross (Western Force), S Mortlock (ACT Brumbies, capt), D Mitchell (Western Force); M Giteau (Western Force), L Burgess (NSW Waratahs); B Robinson (NSW Waratahs), S Moore (Queensland Reds), A Baxter (NSW Waratahs), M Chisholm (ACT Brumbies), N Sharpe (Western Force), H McMeniman (Queensland Reds), G Smith (ACT Brumbies), R Brown (Western Force).
Replacements: T Polota-Nau (NSW Waratahs), M Dunning (NSW Waratahs), D Mumm (NSW Waratahs), W Palu (NSW Waratahs), S Cordingley (Queensland Reds), Q Cooper (Queensland Reds), D Ioane (Queensland Reds).
Martin Johnson tasted defeat for the first time as England manager while old adversaries Australia dished out a lesson on how to play disciplined rugby to his new-look team under the gaze of a 82,000 capacity Twickenham. Australian fly-half Matt Giteau knocked over six penalties and full-back Adam Ashley-Cooper scored a second-half converted try to seal the 28-14 win.
Johnson, the 38-year-old former lock, had lifted the World Cup five years ago in Sydney against the Australians, when England - and Jonny Wilkinson - provided a composed and clinical display. He will have not have been impressed by the young England team's error-strewn display on Saturday.
England’s indiscipline at the breakdown handed the Australians five penalties before the interval, and 26-year-old Giteau took advantage, missing only one. Home captain Steve Borthwick was the culprit twice and other misdemeanours by Tom Rees, Phil Vickery and Paul Sackey cost the home team.
The green and gold No10 took his team to 6-0 up after only five minutes before his opposite number, Daniel Cipriani, had his first attempt on 13 minutes after flanker George Smith had been deemed to bring the ruck down. From half-way the Wasps youngster fluffed his kick on an afternoon he will want to forget. The Australians had targeted the 21-year-old who was making only his third start in an England shirt. Never before had he been tested by a team of this calibre, and the jury will still be out on whether the starlet has what it takes to be the very best in the world.
There were glimpses of his magic, and twice he dashed through the 10 / 12 gap with galloping glee. Cipriani’s first such gallop, after 21 minutes, almost gleaned his side a try. But in the second faze, 10 metres out from the Australian line, No8 Nick Easter would have wished to have had someone quicker than hooker Lee Mears outside him, and could only grimace as the Bath No2 was bundled into touch.
It was full-back Delon Armitage, last weekend’s man-of-the-match in the flattering 39-13 win over the Pacific Islanders, who opened the scoring a minute later with an ugly but effective drop-goal. Giteau then served up two more penalties before England made the most of their vastly superior possession and scored five minutes before the break.
Easter, the Harlequins back-rower, barged over from close range on the right, but Cipriani again missed with the conversion. On the stroke of half-time the England No10 did make amends, slotting a penalty to take the score to a knife-edge 11-12.
Cipriani nudged the home side in front 11 minutes after the break with another penalty but that was to be Johnson’s team’s last points of the afternoon. Giteau stroked over another one four minutes later and the Australians did not look back. The Western Force fly-half, the highest paid player in the Southern Hemisphere, proved his worth again kicking two more penalties, conceded for English indiscipline once more.
With 10 minutes remaining, and the score at 21-14, Australian quick hands outdid a fatigued England defensive line. Ashley-Cooper dived over in the right-hand corner to score his seventh international try. Giteau, of course, added the extra two points with chalk on his boots to take his game tally to 20.
Johnson will have much to chew over, and his side will need to improve their discipline in the coming weeks as they take on the supposedly better Southern Hemisphere teams of South Africa, the world champions, and finally New Zealand.
England
Tries: Easter
Conversions: Cipriani 0 (1)
Penalties: Cipriani 3 (4)
Australia
Tries: Ashley-Cooper
Conversions: Giteau 1 (1)
Penalties: Giteau 6 (7)
England: D Armitage (London Irish); P Sackey (Wasps), J Noon (Newcastle), R Flutey (Wasps), U Monye (Harlequins); D Cipriani (Wasps), D Care (Harlequins); A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), L Mears (Bath), P Vickery (Wasps), S Borthwick (Saracens, capt), T Palmer (Wasps), T Croft (Leicester), T Rees (Wasps), N Easter (Harlequins).
Replacements: D Hartley (Northampton), M Stevens (Bath), S Shaw (Wasps), J Haskell (Wasps), M Lipman (Bath), H Ellis (Leicester), T Flood (Leicester).
Australia: A Ashley-Cooper (ACT Brumbies); P Hynes (Queensland Reds), R Cross (Western Force), S Mortlock (ACT Brumbies, capt), D Mitchell (Western Force); M Giteau (Western Force), L Burgess (NSW Waratahs); B Robinson (NSW Waratahs), S Moore (Queensland Reds), A Baxter (NSW Waratahs), M Chisholm (ACT Brumbies), N Sharpe (Western Force), H McMeniman (Queensland Reds), G Smith (ACT Brumbies), R Brown (Western Force).
Replacements: T Polota-Nau (NSW Waratahs), M Dunning (NSW Waratahs), D Mumm (NSW Waratahs), W Palu (NSW Waratahs), S Cordingley (Queensland Reds), Q Cooper (Queensland Reds), D Ioane (Queensland Reds).
Labels: Australia, England, Martin Johnson, Rugby Football Union
