- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Australia
30
Match Complete
England
28
| 83 |  | O. Farrell | ||
| 82 |  | J. V. Poortvliet | ||
| 79 | | O. Farrell | ||
| 79 | | H. Arundell | ||
| N. Lolesio | | 78 | ||
| P. Samu | | 76 | ||
| N. Lolesio | | 70 | ||
| F. Fainga'a | | 68 | ||
| N. Lolesio | | 65 | ||
| J. Petaia | | 63 | ||
| 60 |  | O. Farrell | ||
| 48 | | E. Genge | ||
| N. Lolesio | | 42 | ||
| N. Lolesio | | 42 | ||
| N. Lolesio | | 22 | ||
| 20 | | O. Farrell | ||
| 6 | | O. Farrell |
| 3 | Tries | 3 | ||
| 3 | Conversions | 2 | ||
| 3 | Penalty Goals | 3 | ||
| 0 | Field Goals | 0 |
Show Preview
The Wallabies host England in Australia for the first time in six years with the first Test in Perth. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:55pm AEST.
After all the talk and anticipation the series is finally here. England coach Eddie Jones wanted to play some mind games but Dave Rennie was having none of it this week.
The Aussies know just how important this first game is after losing 3-zip six years ago.
Much has been made of Dave Rennie’s selections, particularly the omissions of Reds players in Tate McDermott and James O’Connor.
He explained those selections in Thurday’s press conference and now the players he’s gone with have to prove their worth at Optus Stadium.
“We left James out of the mix (because) he’s not quite sharp enough yet,” Rennie said.
“Obviously, he’s missed a big chunk of the second part of the year, didn’t play many of the Kiwi games, and had two different injuries.
The other big news of the week was the selection of two debutants in Cadeyrn Neville and Dave Porecki. It will be fascinating to see how they go.
It would have been easy for Rennie to stick at least one on the bench but he’s shown faith that they won’t be overawed by the situation.
“From a perseverance point of view, it’s a great story. And likewise, Dave Porecki spent a lot of time over at London Irish. We would have picked him last year had he not got injured late.
“It’s great for both those guys and awesome for their families,” Rennie said.
Eddie Jones revealed his 23 for the opening match on Thursday with Courtney Lawes taking the captaincy and a place on the bench for Australian-raised Guy Porter to potentially make his Test debut.
Prediction
There is little chance this fixture will disappoint and with clear and dry conditions expected, the opportunity to play some exciting rugby is there for Wallabies to take up.
No doubt the locals will come at England hard in the opening exchanges, with the visitors relying on precision in the set piece and immense power in the forwards to steady the ship the longer the contest goes and eventually overcome what will be a passionate night for the Wallabies.
Despite the odd-makers leaning the Australians’ way, England look a more polished outfit right now, with the challenge of winning on the road potentially enough to see them snatch a hard-fought win, by what will likely be only a handful of points.
England by 6.
Venue: Optus Stadium
Kick-off: 7:55pm (AEST)
Live stream/TV: Stan Sport, Nine Network
Betting: Australia $1.70, England $2.15 – odds via PlayUp
Australia
1. Angus Bell, 2. David Porecki, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 4. Darcy Swain, 5. Cadeyrn Neville, 6. Rob Leota, 7. Michael Hooper (c), 8. Rob Valetini, 9. Nic White, 10. Quade Cooper, 11. Marika Koroibete, 12. Samu Kerevi, 13. Len Ikitau, 14. Andrew Kellaway, 15. Tom Banks
Reserves: 16. Folau Fainga’a, 17. Scott Sio, 18. James Slipper, 19. Matt Philip, 20. Pete Samu, 21. Jake Gordon, 22. Noah Lolesio, 23. Jordan Petaia
England
1. Ellis Genge, 2. Jamie George, 3. Will Stuart, 4. Maro Itoje, 5. Jonny Hill, 6. Courtney Lawes (c), 7. Tom Curry, 8. Billy Vunipola, 9. Danny Care, 10. Marcus Smith, 11. Joe Cokanasiga, 12. Owen Farrell, 13. Joe Marchant, 14. Jack Nowell, 15. Freddie Steward
Reserves: 16. Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17. Mako Vunipola, 18. Joe Heyes, 19. Ollie Chessum, 20. Lewis Ludlam, 21. Jack van Poortvliet, 22. Guy Porter, 23. Henry Arundell,
Hide Preview