Four Nations: Australia v England - As It Happened

So England miss the chance to knock Australia out of the tournament and Australia keep their Four Nations title hopes alive (although beating Samoa is no given). You have to give Australia enormous credit. Down 12-4 and playing in fits and bursts they put together a dominant second half when the chips were down.

The injection of Ben Hunt turned the match, although so did that late late late call by the video referee. Hall certainly got his fingers to the ball but the on-field referee explained that the ball was on its way back up when Hall’s fingers brushed it and it seemed, to my mind at least, the right call. Such are the margins between winning and losing.

What a great tournament it’s been so far, and there’s plenty of football left. Thanks for your company and see you next time.

80 mins: Just when we wondered if a try would be given, “No Try” is the call! It’s hard to say Hall got any downward pressure but bloody hell what a call to make considering the state of the game. And history. And everything else!

79 mins: England get over the half on the fourth tackle. Charnley has half a gap to hit but Mansour snaffles him up. The ball goes left now and England get a grubber away that Inglis fingernails over the deadball line with Hall hovering over him like the apocalypse! Australia drop out!

Hang on, they are looking to see if Hall scored! Inglis batted it back and Hall’s fingers grazed the ball before it went over the dead-ball line...

78 mins: Australia let a bomb bounce and it sits up invitingly for England before Mansour flies at it from the left wing and defuses a very dangerous situation. Can Australia close it out?

77 mins: England trying to work it out of their own 40m…

74 mins: England survive an Australian incursion that ends with a Cronk cross-field bomb that Inglis bats back to a teammate who knocks on.

England, down the other end now, play hot potato football on the last! The ball must have gone through 10 sets of hands but eventually Australia make the final tackle. Heart-pumping stuff now!

72 mins: It’s end to end here and I can’t say either side looks like a brick wall in defence. There will surely be another try, but to who? Australia with the ball on the halfway line, two tackles up their sleeve. And on the last Cronk weights a kick beautifully and Tomkins is tackled in his own in-goal. Drop out England!

70 mins: Mata’utia makes a nice catch on a bomb under massive pressure. That’ll do him the world of good.

68 mins: With Australia deep on the attack Walker pops a basketball pass into touch. England need to steady here.

62 mins: Hunt is in this game! He puts up a monster bomb that Charnley tries to catch with outstretched hands. But he drops it into his own in-goal area. Just as the Aussies look to benefit, it is kicked dead by an England boot!

60 mins: All of a sudden, the intensity has gone up a notch and Australia have a new lease of life. Peter Sterling in commentary says England will need to score again. And maybe they will here. Dylan Walker drops the ball on his own 30m line! But on tackle two George Burgess is forced into error by a strong tackle!

55 mins: Hunt to dummy half, Smith to lock it seems. Andrew Johns, in commentary, is baffled. Hunt gives Australia another creative player but in turn gives England another small man to run at in the line.

53 mins: Ben Hunt comes into the game for Sam Thaiday. Not quite a like-for-like substitution that one.

51 mins: A scrum penalty to Australia which could be part of the Rorke’s Drift commemoration. Either way, Australia have the ball, but they are still in their own half. There’s little cohesion here from the hosts.

50 mins: A messy set by Australia ends in a nothing-else-to-do midfield bomb by Cronk. It’s easily caught by Tomkins.

47 mins: Possible try to Australia! Cherry-Evans uses a decoy runner in Cordner to free Inglis on his left. Inglis powers through the gap and reaches out to plant the ball but it’s gone upstairs. It looks like an obstruction by Cordner.

And it is. No try!

46 mins: England run the football on the last and almost catch Australia napping! Tom Burgess finds Clark 5m out but his attempt to flick the ball out the back goes forward. A left off for Australia.

44 mins: Australia are running with some zip here before Cronk roosts a ball high towards Hall. It swirls, it swoops, it swerves, but Hall takes it safely. He’s had a good game, Hall.

42 mins: England make 50m on their first five tackles before Graham comes up wincing after a tackle by Greg Bird. Did Bird rake his studs down Graham’s Achilles? He’s no cleanskin Bird, so maybe he did just that. No penalty, however, and England complete their set by finding the grass deep in Australia’s territory.

England have completed 90% of their sets compared to Australia’s 77%. Daryl Clark and James Graham are leading the way for England. If England can maintain that in the second half you’d back them making history.

What have Australia got? Their backs are against the ball well and truly. Here come the players....

40 mins: And somehow England find time to scare Australia! On the halfway line, Graham finds Sam Tomkins on his shoulder and the fullback shoots through a gap, but Widdop puts down an inside ball just when it looked England might manufacture their third try. Relief for Australia as the hooter sounds.

39 mins: Jennings burns Watkins on his outside , draws Charnley, but Jennings’ pass to an unmarked Mansour goes behind him and into touch! That was a certain try had the pass found Mansour. A big moment in the shadows of halftime.

37 mins: Scott will not be returning to the fray which, for Australia, has become increasingly frayed. That’s Australia down a man for the remainder. But they are on the attack and come close! A cheeky grubber from Cherry-Evans is put into the path of a flying Jennings but Sam Tomkins toes it dead. England drop out.

31 mins: I’d been thinking Australia were slowly getting on top before that try. What do I know? England are on the attack again but Graham drops the pill just when England were looking dangerous.

But an Inglis drop down the other end gives England the ball in great position.

28 mins: Hall busts the line and runs 50m before finding Clark backing up. Clark sets up a three-on-two but for some reason holds on to the ball and he’s tackled by Inglis who drags him 10m over the touchline. But that’s a penalty to England, the ref called held.

Hold the phone! Possible try to England!

26 mins: Charnley, wearing a samurai-style hair bun (and, I’d argue, not carrying it off), climbs high under pressure to catch a Cherry-Evans bomb.

23 mins: Debutant Klemmer is on for Australia and he gets into the action straight away with a strong run.

Widdop kicks again to Inglis but there were England shirts in front of Widdop and an offside penalty is called. England are gifting Australia some easy metres.

22 mins: Some risky business by Sam Tomkins prevents an England drop-out when, from inside his own in-goal, he worms out of a tackle and finds Ryan Hall who bustles to the 10m line.

19 mins: Smith misses a relatively easy conversion attempt and the upset England fans manage a Bronx cheer.

And here’s another penalty to Australia for Josh Charnley not being square at marker. Easy metres for Australia who start a new set on the halfway line.

15 mins: An inside ball from Cronk to Inglis on the England 20m is spilled when Farrell sees it coming and gets in Inglis’ face like a cobweb. A good opportunity missed there.

12 mins: Another short attacking kick —this one from Matty Smith— is easily claimed by Australia. That’s one each now to Widdop and Smith whose radars are equally misaligned.

Beau Scott is off the field, by the way, and he’s looking rather ginger. Especially for a man with no hair. And now Australia win a penalty for an over-exuberant tackle on young Mata’utia.

11 mins: Greg Bird cuts O’Loughlin in half but O’Loughlin’s forward momentum sees him go over Bird’s shoulder and he lands on his head. Penalty England and Bird is on report for what was a fairly innocuous tackle. England now inside Australia’s 20m...

8 mins: O’Loughlin gets away with a trip on Smith… actually he doesn’t. He’s on report, after the replay found him out. Australia ball now, 30m out from the England line. England’s first test in defence.

And just as Cherry-Evans zips over the line play is called back for a forward pass from Parker! Fair call, and now England get a chance to work it out from their own line.

5 mins: As light showers begin to fall, Inglis takes his third bomb of the match. England aren’t taking James Campbell’s advice thus far.

Australia hold firm for five tackles before Widdop stabs a kick in behind the line, but it’s claimed all too easily by Inglis. Liam Farrell, in the process of tackling Inglis, concedes a penalty for a “chicken wing” tackle. “Working the arm,” says the ref who puts Farrell on report.

5 mins: As light showers begin to fall, Inglis takes his third bomb of the match. England aren’t taking James Campbell’s advice thus far.

And a mistake from Greg Bird who, in the process of getting flattened like a cartoon cat, spills the ball. From the subsequent possession England earn a holding penalty and now they are on the Australia 20m with a full set up their sleeve.

3 mins: England making good metres on their possessions without threatening to break the line, and they’ll be pleased with the no-mistake football while their nerves are in their most fractious state.

2 mins: James Graham and George Burgess share hit-up duties as England safely negotiate their first set before pumping it down to Inglis.

James Campbell says England’s tactics should be simple. “Bomb the kid! England should target the 18 year old Aussie. It’s a no brainer.”

The refs are also in retro gear. Baggy white shorts, baggy long-sleeve tops.

Anthems… “long to reign over us etc etc… girt by sea etc etc”…

And here they come! Visitors first. There seem to be plenty England supporters in attendance. James Graham gives them a clap. Smith leads out the Aussies who look suitably focused. Games faces have been applied.

Not long to go, folks. The teams are receiving their final instructions and in a moment Cameron Smith and Sean O’Loughlin will lead their respective sides out. O’Loughlin is the only man in the England squad to have tasted success against Australia (as part of Great Britain’s 2006 Tr-Nations team). What does success against Australia taste like, I wonder. A cold amber ale? A room temperature stout? Warm milk and honey? Pork crackling with a hint of apple sauce? An Australian can only speculate.

Today’s referee, meantime, is Australian Gerrard Sutton for reasons no-one has adequately explained (as far as I’m concerned). And this despite the fact a New Zealander was appointed to yesterday’s gripping match between New Zealand and Samoa. Why create a scenario where a referee can be accused of bias? Here’s Steve Mascord’s piece on the controversy that, hopefully, won’t become more controversial still.

There is a curtain-raiser being played today...

Teams

Australia: Inglis, Mansour, Jennings, Walker, Mata’utia, Cherry-Evans, Cronk, Woods, Smith (c), Thaiday, Scott, Bird, Parker. Interchange: Cordner, Hunt, Klemmer, Papalii.

England: S. Tomkins, Charnley, Watkins, Sarginson, Hall, Widdop, Smith, G. Burgess, Hodgson, Graham, Farrell, J. Tomkins, O’Loughlin. Interchange: Clark, Ferres, T. Burgess, Hill.

So, Australia will line up with another three debutants: 18-year-old Newcastle winger Sione Mata’utia, who’s played just seven NRL games (and now becomes the youngest ever Kangaroo after surpassing Israel Folau), as well as Brisbane halfback Ben Hunt and Canterbury prop David Klemmer, both of whom are on the interchange bench.

England, meantime, go into the game with two changes from last week. After missing last week’s win over Samoa due to a quad injury, second-rower Sean O’Loughlin is in the starting side at the expense of Hull’s Joe Westerman. And Dan Sarginson replaces Michael Shenton. Canberra Raiders recruit Josh Hodgson has retained his spot as starting hooker, and half Matty Smith is fit after injuring an ankle last week.

Today’s game will commemorate the so-called “Rorke’s Drift Test” of 1914 when the British Lions, reduced to 10 men (no replacements back then), won the third and deciding Test 14-6 in Sydney. Ironically, that game was meant to have been played in Melbourne but the NSWRFL had it moved due to concerns the game wouldn’t make as money in the heartland of Aussie Rules as it would in Sydney. Such concerns are still held 100 years later but the NRL is determined to continue to engage the Victorian market (an effort often at odds with the host broadcaster Channel Nine, it must be said). Let’s see what sort of crowd we get. It’s a partly cloudy 17 degrees C in Melbourne today and AAMI Park is a fine place to watch sport so let’s hope the 30,000 capacity is given a nudge.

The Rorke’s Drift commemoration explains the jerseys the two teams will be wearing today. England will be in red hoops, Australia will be wearing the blue and maroon hoops of NSW and Queensland respectively, which should delight the Victorians in the crowd.

But England seem relaxed. Here are some of the lads warming-up for the game by anticipating, virtually, tomorrow’s Manchester derby. United appear to be leading 1-0. I’m not really a gamer but surely there’s a rugby league game they could be playing? Perhaps no-one wanted to be Australia.

What do England fans feel about all this and today’s game? Exquisite torture, I imagine. On the one hand they know their team stands their best opportunity in some time of knocking over the Australians —and, deliciously, knocking them out of the tournament in the process. Why shouldn’t they savour this possibility, roll it around in their minds like honeycomb on the tongue? On the other hand, England hasn’t beaten Australian since the 1995 World Cup opener at Wembley, and too many times have the seemingly susceptible Australians shattered such dreams. So I don’t expect you’d catch England supporters of a certain vintage getting ahead of themselves. Indeed, some time over the past week they will have marched out into their mental backwoods and buried their optimism so deep that serious excavation would be required to uncover it. English youngsters scoffing at such caution just haven’t seen the things they’ve seen. Things like this:

Now England weren’t exactly world-beaters themselves last week when they edged an excellent Samoa. But win they did and they should be better for the run after having a short pre-tournament preparation. Additionally, England are stacked with big boppers and it’s precisely Australia’s lack of bulk that got them into trouble against New Zealand last week. Given there only two genuine props in the Australia squad (what were the selectors thinking?) England will have size on their side today and feel, as a consequence, they are a real chance.

Adding to English hopes is that the Australia squad is missing more than a dozen State of Origin starters. For one reason or another, Australia entered the tournament without the likes of Johnathan Thurston, Billy Slater, Jarryd Hayne, Brett Morris, Josh Morris, James Tamou, Matt Scott, Paul Gallen and Andrew Fifita. As a result, Australia took 11 rookies into their squad, five of whom debuted last week against New Zealand (who were also weakened by injury). For the first time in a long time Australia’s depth is being tested and if last week’s New Zealand game is any indication it may not be as, um, deep, as once thought.

Still, running out in retro Australia jerseys today will be Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Greg Inglis, Daly Cherry-Evans and Michael Jennings among others. Pretty handy players. Inglis could be particularly dangerous, not only because he’s a from the future where genetic engineering has all but perfected the human species, but because he’ll be peeved at playing while ill last week and missing the entire second half. England’s fringe defence will need to be at their best to keep him in check.

I know many of you are already on to your fourth beer, while others of you have just woken up in the pre-dawn of a late autumn UK morning (and, thus, may be a beer or two behind), but you may be lucid enough. So what are your thoughts? Can England win? Has there been too much made of Australia’s loss last week, just their first in 17 Tests? Is brunch really dead in London? If you could steal anything from the office stationary cupboard what would it be? Is Mario Balotelli’s hair a bigger problem than global warming? Drop me a line at paul.connolly@theguardian.com.

G’day

A clash between Australia and England in any sport requires little subplot to make it interesting. But today’s rugby league Four Nations encounter between Australia and England in Melbourne has more subplots than a Dickens novel. All of them, however, point to one question: Are we about to witness something so rare that most of us reading this blog have never seen its like before?

Vanquished by New Zealand last weekend, Australia go into this afternoon’s match in Melbourne knowing that if they lose it will not only mean they’ve lost consecutive Tests for the first time since 1978 but that they will be unable to progress through to the tournament final. That would be something, for not since 1954 have Australia failed to make the final of an international league tournament. As with most journos maths, like English, has never been my strongest subject, but I make that 70 years 60 years.

It’s not the right to time or place to muse on what Australia missing the final might mean; be it a statistical inevitably that we shouldn’t read too much into, or a pointer to a utopian future where the spoils of international rugby league are more equitably shared around. After all, Australia haven’t lost today’s match yet. And, indeed, may do no such thing. But the mere possibility of Australia missing the final, the mere sight of them looking as vulnerable as koala cubs playing a form of Marco Polo beside the Hume Highway, has given this tournament an unexpected boost.

The witch isn’t dead just yet, but she’s certainly looking a bit peaky.