Woeful Wallabies Sink at Twickenham in Record England Rout
Australia conceded a record number of points to England at Twickenham as Henry Pollock helped the hosts score seven tries. The Wallabies lost their set piece, offered little attack and now face Scotland next week, with a home World Cup less than 12 months away.
Australia's Wallabies were woeful at Twickenham, conceding a record number of points to England in a seven-try defeat in the Nations Championship. Henry Pollock powered the hosts to a crushing victory.
It was the Wallabies' second heavy defeat in a row at the ground. Australia had won there 42-37 in 2024, but the past two visits have been "desperate experiences", according to match analysis.
No set piece, no swagger
Australia lacked the counterattacking flair they are capable of. They showed little of the ball-carrying thrust their heavyweights can produce, at least until the game was well and truly up. Their set piece fell apart.
They also lack a fly-half of international quality, a gap that has lasted more than a decade. That left no one to manage the side through a difficult away fixture.
Until Max Jorgensen's intercept try on the stroke of half-time, Australia had entered England's 22 just once. That came in the 37th minute, from a lineout the Wallabies promptly lost.
Tactics questioned
Les Kiss got his tactics badly wrong, according to the analysis. The Wallabies' best chance was a "you score, we score" contest like the first half of New Zealand's win over Scotland on Saturday. Instead they played as if they wanted to reach the break scoreless.
Rob Valetini, Taniela Tupou and Filipo Daugunu started on the bench, hinting at a plan to turn the screw late. England were out of sight by then. Daugunu showed his power to score Australia's second try and Valetini made a few dents, but the error count did not drop.
Fraser McReight, winning his 50th cap, had been talked up for his threat at the breakdown. He was ineffective and repeatedly questioned the referee, Pierre Brousset.
World Cup pressure
The result lands with Australia hosting the World Cup in less than 12 months. A pay dispute between the Wallabies and Rugby Australia is also unresolved.
This was the team's first outing of the northern tour, and they play Scotland next week. A full Rugby Championship comes before the World Cup begins, so there is time to fix things.
The reality, in the words of the match analysis, is that the global game is a better place when the Wallabies are "cocksure, strutting their stuff". They showed none of that at Twickenham.
