Australia snatch payback victory

* Australia 21, England 19

This so-called friendly for the Cook Cup, rather than something more global, was generally billed as the payback test.

The team inflicting the revenge was supposed to be England, for the 50-point embarrassment in Brisbane last June, not the Wallabies for the World Cup defeat in Sydney 12 months ago.

Only a small proportion of the 73,000 crowd would have been in Brisbane - principally the gold and green Wallaby pocket in the north stand - but 70,000 others were left dumbstruck by the latest epic contest.

Two years ago at Twickenham, when England's sweet chariot was driven by Sir Clive Woodward, the home side edged it 32-31. Yesterday, a reformed England were outsmarted by a team that punched way above their weight and thoroughly deserved a famous victory.

Having overturned a 15-0 deficit with three tries in a magnificent 16-minute spell in the second half, England bewilderingly lost the plot.

Andy Robinson, Woodward's successor, cannot be blamed for the kicking lapse of first five-eighth Charlie Hodgson but he has to shoulder responsibility for the unprofessional situation in which England found themselves.

Both sides lost their goal-kickers - Elton Flatley went off with a leg injury in the 24th minute and Hodgson, with a similar affliction, in the 70th - but there the comparison ends.

Australia moved the talented Matt Giteau to first five-eighth; England replaced Hodgson with a halfback, Harry Ellis, and had another halfback, Andy Gomarsall, at first five.

But that wasn't as criminal as their predicament in the goalkicking department. The Wallabies, in Giteau, had an admirable understudy and he went on to win the game by converting a pressure penalty, his third, in the 72nd minute. England, on the other hand, were up the creek without a navigator.

First, Robinson took off Henry Paul in the 24th minute. It was a tactical substitution, probably based on Paul's vulnerability in defence where it was noticeable that Hodgson was having to produce an increasing number of tackles.

Unfortunately, the move came back to haunt Robinson. Paul was the back-up goal-kicker and when Hodgson picked up a dead leg in the second half England were forced to kick for the corners rather than at goal. When they scored tries they were obliged to turn to players who are not recognised kickers.

Mike Tindall landed two conversions but earlier Gomarsall missed a kick that was even easier than the two shocking penalty misses by Hodgson during the first half.

The score in tactical terms was Robinson 1, Eddie Jones 2.

England, who had enjoyed 56 per cent of the possession, found themselves 12-0 down at half-time and two minutes after the restart Giteau made it 15-0.

England had to score three times, and they did so with tries to Lewis Moody, Josh Lewsey and Mark Cueto. Having hit the front with 16 minutes to go, Robinson expected England to pull clear.

Instead, they found the halfbacks at sixes and sevens and Gomarsall's late charge on Giteau enabled the Wallaby to land the winner.

"We made too many errors," Robinson said. "It's all about inches and maybe we stopped playing when we got in front."

- INDEPENDENT