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Wallaby captain Stephen Moore could be forgiven for wondering how on earth England could win the first of three Tests 39-28 at Suncorp on Saturday night after the Wallabies jumped to an early 10-nil lead.
Australian ODI skipper Steve Smith thought the same a week ago when South Africa won by 47 after posting a very gettable 189-run target. But the world champion Australians suffered a spectacular collapse.
More of the wash-up from Wallabies vs England
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» Match report: Eddie’s England too good
» DIY player ratings
» Roar Forum – what changes should the Wallabies make?
» Watch the full highlights
Apart from opener Aaron Finch’s 72 and late order Nathan Lyon’s 30, in between was a disaster – David Warne (1), Usman Khawaja (2), Steve Smith (8), Glenn Maxwell (3), Mitchell Marsh (8), Matt Wade (2), and Nathan Coulter-Nile (0) looked more like an international telephone number than an international score card.
Yesterday, the Australians reversed the South African result with a 36-run victory, more becoming of a world champion outfit.
Warner cracked 109, Khawaja 59, and Smith an unbeaten 52 in an 8-288 total, dismissing South Africa for 252 with Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and promising young leggie Adam Zampa each claiming three wickets.
But the Australians will be without Warner from here on in with a fractured index finger, so the batting order must stiffen to overcome the loss.
The Wallabies will have to do the same.
The men in gold will be without David Pocock for the rest of the series with a fractured eye socket as the Wallabies seek to even the count next Saturday in Melbourne.
In short, the Wallabies must tread the cricketers’ path for redemption.
Ben McCalman should be Pocock’s replacement and team discipline must be restored.
French referee Romain Poite caned the Wallabies with nine penalties to two in the first half, and 15-8 overall, handing England’s champion goal-kicker Owen Farrell six shots at goal and he landed the lot.
Those penalties gave England unearned momentum if not in points then at least in territory, and changed the whole context of the game.
To give England due credit they made the most of the gift by turning a 10-nil deficit into a 29-13 lead early in the second half.
England didn’t play that well that they scored 29-3 in 46 minutes.
To the Wallabies’ credit they clawed their way back to be down 32-28 with three minutes left on the clock, only to give away a converted try on full-time for an unwarranted scoreline of 11 points the difference.
The score wasn’t as bad as it looks in the cold light of day.
Bernard Foley kicked only two from six, Farrell nine from 10. When Foley’s boot is off, the Wallabies generally lose.
Foley’s disallowed try in the first half with the TMO charging debutant lock Rory Arnold with obstruction was red hot and when that immediately became a converted England try, it was a 14-point turn around in a matter of moments.
And Israel Folau will ever never throw a long pass to no-one that gifted England centre Jonathan Joseph a converted try on half-time.
Fact – Michael Cheika coached sides don’t earn 64 per cent possession and 66 per cent territory – and lose.
So tighten the seat-belts Roarers, the Melbourne second Test promises to be a belter.