Showing posts with label 🏉. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 🏉. Show all posts
Tuesday, 19 November 2024
Saturday, 16 November 2024
Wednesday, 13 November 2024
Monday, 11 November 2024
Saturday, 9 November 2024
MAX JORGENSEN'S LAST-GASP TRY PROPELS AUSTRALIA TO STUNNING WIN OVER ENGLAND
Joe Schmidt’s side come out on top of 10-try Twickenham thriller with late, late score.
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| Australia's Max Jorgensen dives over the line to score their late winning try during the Autumn Nations Series match against England at Twickenham. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images |
Autumn Nations Series: England 37 Australia 42
Max Jorgensen’s last-gasp try gave Joe Schmidt’s Australia a dramatic 42-37 victory over England on Saturday in a frenetic 10-try match that saw the lead change hands four times in a breathtaking final 15 minutes.
England thought they had snatched it when Marcus Smith converted Maro Itoje’s 78th-minute score, only for the irrepressible Wallabies to dig deep and somehow grab the upset win.
It was only their second victory in 12 games against England and first in five at Twickenham since their 2015 World Cup pool win, and left the hosts shaking their heads after a fourth successive defeat.
Unlike in the last three against New Zealand, England did, as promised, keep playing in the last quarter, but unfortunately for them, so did Australia, who got their grand slam tour off to a spectacular start.
England had opened up with a superb try after five minutes. Ollie Lawrence, who barely touched the ball last week, collected a low, probing Smith kick and, six, crisp passes later Chandler Cunningham-South dived over.
Seven minutes later the flanker got his second, catching the Australian defence cold by charging over from a tap penalty after another sharp Smith break.
England lost flanker Tom Curry, knocked out by a knee to the head making a tackle, after 23 minutes and it seemed to unsettle them as Australia, playing with real ambition and adventure, took control, albeit helped by a blizzard of missed tackles.
A sublime no-look one-handed pop pass by centre Joseph Suaalii, the 21-year-old rugby league convert playing his first senior game in union, sent fullback Tom Wright over before Tate McDermott, on as a blood replacement at scrumhalf, then made an immediate impact with a great dart to feed Harry Wilson for a second.
More pressure earned a penalty that Noah Lolesio popped over to somehow put them 20-18 ahead at half-time and leave the Twickenham crowd collectively scratching their heads in bemusement.
Australia started the second half strongly and lock Jeremy Williams produced an acrobatic winger-style finish to touch down in the corner for their third try.
England had gone from 12 points ahead to 10 behind either side of half-time, but, unlike in most of their recent games, they did keep pressing and found the scores needed.
They closed the gap with a first international try for replacement wing Ollie Sleightholme after a deft Smith grubber.
They then edged ahead with Sleightholme’s second try after a quick lineout and a driving run by the impressive Lawrence, with Smith converting to make it 30-28 with 10 minutes to go.
A bungled pass on halfway was then scooped up by Australia winger Andrew Kellaway who raced clear, with Ben Donaldson converting for a two-point lead.
England hit straight back though, Itoje reaching over to level and Smith nailed the conversion and the crowd celebrating what they thought was a victory.
Australia, however, refused to lie down, forging forward with a series of scrums with the clock in the red then blasting clear as Len Ikitau offloaded brilliantly for replacement Jorgensen to race clear and gleefully dive over the line.
England next face world champions South Africa at Twickenham next Saturday, while Australia play Wales on Sunday.
- The Irish Times
Tuesday, 5 November 2024
Sunday, 3 November 2024
ENGLAND RUGBY STAR JOE MARLER RETIRES JUST DAYS AFTER CAUSING NEW ZEALAND HAKA FURY
Joe Marler has announced his retirement from international rugby after missing England's agonising 24-22 defeat against New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday.
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| Joe Marler of England (Image: Dan Mullan/RFU/Getty Images) |
England's forward, Joe Marler, has declared his retirement from international rugby.
The announcement was made by Marler on social media on Sunday morning, following England's heart-wrenching 24-22 loss to New Zealand at Twickenham the previous day. The 34 year old had been in the spotlight leading up to the match due to his call for a ban on the Haka.
Despite later retracting this viewpoint, the controversy led to a tense few days before the game. The Harlequins prop has now decided to end his 95-cap career with a heartfelt post on Instagram.
His message read: "Playing for England always felt like I was living in a dream bubble. I kept waiting for it to pop and me to suddenly go back to being a gobby, overweight 16-year-old again. But you know when it's time. I can't do what I used to do as well as I once could.
"I can't keep talking about my family being my priority unless they actually are. I want to keep untarnished all these memories of my career, both good and bad. I don't want to leave my house with my kids crying. I'm ready to make the change.
"The first team-mate I told was Dan Cole. We were sharing a room at the England hotel. I hugged him, he hugged me. The conversation went a bit like this: I love you, mate. I love you too. What's up? I'm done, mate. I know you are.
"It's the friendship and respect of team-mates like Dan that I'll cherish the most. The fun we had reaching the Rugby World Cup final in Japan in 2019. Coming off together in the semi-final against South Africa in 2023, sitting down on the bench, patting each other on the leg and saying, we did alright there, old son.
"Rugby has taken me places I could never have imagined. We have a big map of the world up on the wall in our kitchen. We put pins in where we've been. The kids have pins in four or five holiday places, Daisy the same. They can't believe how many I've stuck in. Dad, have you really been there? What's Uruguay? When you come from a little town in East Sussex, that's not normal. It's a wonderful thing.
"When I first got picked to play for England, 14 years ago, I was terrified. I wasn't good enough. I had bleached hair with red bits in it. I couldn't even drive myself to Pennyhill Park. I had to ask a mate to drop me off. When he did, he asked me if I could nick him some stash as a souvenir. I met Martin Johnson before training, and he towered over me and told me to get a haircut.
"So I'm incredibly grateful I got to play 95 times for my country. I have to pinch myself. Did I really do that? I'm grateful to all those people who showed patience as I kept messing up.
"I'm grateful to the fans who made each match special. I'm grateful to the team-mates who pushed alongside or behind me, and the ones who could do all the things with a ball that I can't. But most of all I'm grateful to Daisy, Jasper, Maggie, Felix and Pixie for the unwavering support.
"I'm sad to say goodbye to international rugby. But I'm really proud, too. Time to exit one dream bubble; time to enter a new one. Big Love x".
- FELIX KEITH
Friday, 25 October 2024
Tuesday, 15 October 2024
Wednesday, 2 October 2024
Saturday, 28 September 2024
Monday, 9 September 2024
Sunday, 8 September 2024
Sunday, 1 September 2024
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