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The one Aussie highlight in 80 minutes a 90 meter run ending in a great try.
I still can't fathom how Australia got hammered so badly by England today. They had more possession ,but were clueless on what to do with it. Normally in a sport like rugby it would be a telling stat as it means you are bossing the game. Possession is the key to winning as it normally gives you field position which normally means points.
Down 17-9 at half time and then within two minutes of the restart and nearly back on level terms at 17-16 with everything to play for. Australia coughed the ball up in important areas and just didn't go back to basics. Not one of the Australians stood up and they looked rudderless. The same team with a new coach and a new captain could have done so much more.
I felt sorry for the Australian forwards as they had done all the Donkey work for the backs to mess it up and kick it aimlessly away. the England backs capitalized on their errors and punished them by scoring points on a regular basis. Australia didn't score a point from the 43rd minute conceding 23 unanswered points.
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At least it isn't a long flight home.
England scored off the Australians mistakes and built a score taking the points when they were on offer. Australia passed up two kickable penalties at one point and should have taken those points. When you are conceding points and not scoring any you end up chasing the game when you don't need to.
England were flattered by this scoreline as it didn't tell the whole story and no wonder the Australians were disappointed in themselves. Like loads of teams there is no flare and it looks like the players are just going through the motions. The Aussie coach Michael Cheika can't do any more with this team and maybe his time is up. Give someone else the opportunity to take the team forward as I think a change is desperately needed. After the game Cheika wouldn't say if he would step down or not, but I think his time is up and will resign instead of being pushed.
Next week England take on the All Blacks and if they played like they did today allowing New Zealand the bulk of the possession it will be a long 80 minutes that wont end well. I don't rate this England team and see them being knocked out next week. I see them as a decent team, but definitely nothing special without any x factors. New Zealand has 3 or 4 x factor type players who can change and influence the game. Definitely a game to watch though and could be the game of the tournament.
