by 11:28
14 minutes: AUS 0 ING 15
Tupou concedes a penalty after an armless contact that gives Farrell another shot on target. Needless to say, he crushes it from the right of the posts. England advances.
11:26
12 minutes: AUS 0 ING 10
12 minutes have passed, but a great run from Koroibete gives Australia their first good attack of the match. He almost ends in horror with a Jonny Hill interception, but can’t hold on. It seemed that Hill’s mind was racing and he was already picturing himself running that 65-meter attempt. We’ve all been there Jonny, we’ve all been there.
11:24
11 minutes: AUS 0 ING 10
England have a penalty after an Australia lineout and Farrell doesn’t escape, scoring the goal and extending England’s lead.
11:22
9 minutes: AUS 0 ING 7
This start has been a true statement of intent for England and they are overtaking the Wallabies and asserting their dominance. The question is whether they can continue like this.
11:20
Try! Vunipola! OFF 0 ENG 7
England have made good on their fast start by trying early.
A great move from the lineout sees Itoje grab the ball before passing it to Billy Vunipola. The English strikers use their power and push over the line, so that Vunipola touches the ball.
A hugely impressive start from England and Owen Farrell adds the icing on the cake by scoring the conversion from the left of the field.
11:16
4 minutes: AUS 0 ING 0
Jordan Petaia is retired for a HIA and it’s hard to imagine we’ll see him back on the field, he looked drunk after taking a big hit after getting the wrong position at tackle.
11:15
3 minutes: AUS 0 ING 0
George, Genge and the rest of the English strikers have started this match with ferocity. This is a brilliant start from the men of Eddie Jones.
11:13
1 minute: AUS 0 ING 0
England kicks and keeps possession. Ellis Genge looks excited as he crosses the Australian line.
England has started with intention.
11:11
They were out!
Owen Farrell kicks it deep for us to start in Brisbane. Let’s go!
11:05
Is the time
The anthems will follow after Welcome to Country, which has the crowd screaming loudly.
11:01
almost time
An expectant crowd is counting down the minutes for this one to begin.
10:54
Sonny Bill’s Prediction
The great All Black has his opinion on today’s big game.
10:42
The State of the Game at Suncorp Stadium
10:41
Courtney Lawes the Centurion
Courtney Lawes wins her 100th test cap today. She made her England debut in November 2009 against today’s opposition and has since played 94 times for England, five times for the British and Irish Lions, and today marks that appearance number 100 on the test.
10:35
A reminder of today’s line-ups… Australia
10:34
A reminder of today’s line-ups… England
10:32
the coin toss
Just 25 minutes until we’re up and running.
10:23
History in New Zealand…
Ireland are celebrating a famous victory after beating the All Blacks on New Zealand soil for the first time. It keeps the series alive ahead of next week’s decider, but today is a time for celebrations in general. You can read more about the reaction to that victory here.
10:09
More on the England team change
England suffered a setback shortly before their second Test against Australia at Suncorp Stadium when flanker Jack Willis was taken off the bench due to a rib injury.
Willis’ place is taken by Will Joseph, the London-Irish center whose promotion from outside the 23 changes the forward-back split between replacements from six-two to five-three.
England have awarded debuts to center Guy Porter and flanker Tommy Freeman for their attempt to level the series after the Wallabies won the opener 30-28.
09:53
Willis out… uncovered Joseph in
09:41
A defining moment for Eddie Jones and England
After their 30-28 loss to Australia in the first Test on Saturday, England know they cannot afford another slip-up in today’s second match.
Eddie Jones has given Guy Porter and Tommy Freeman their debuts with Jack van Poortvliet also at scrum-half. There is never a dull moment when it comes to Jones’s England selections…
The debate is going to rage, and yet this is one side capable of squaring up the series. Witty and tough, Porter was one of the most important players during the Leicester Tigers’ triumphant Premier League campaign. Van Poortvliet played a major role, building on a groundbreaking 2020-21 campaign. Freeman is a hugely exciting talent.
Regardless of which staff you feel, this game is a defining moment for Jones. As Austin Healey writes in his latest Telegraph column this week, at times “Jones seemed impossible to remove, as Boris Johnson used to be… If England play well and win, and their youngsters perform, then he stays. But if they lose, I think Eddie is probably gone.”
England are playing to avoid a fifth consecutive loss and are also coming to terms with the end of their eight-Test winning streak against the Wallabies.
“I was shocked and thought they were better than we perceived them to be. That was probably a bit naive of us. Good for them,” England prop Ellis Genge said yesterday.
“What are we going to do to change that? Find out on Saturday. Try harder. We have to be better everywhere. We have to be better because we lost. They won’t catch us cold.”
“We just have to be better overall, I know that’s a vague way of saying it, but we need to be better in every facet. We had five percent off everywhere, which cumulatively makes a big difference.” I don’t think we were miles apart. They were good, really good, and at the highest level you get punished for being out of line.”
