BMW Australia U20s fall short in one-point loss to England U20s
The BMW Australia U20s have come agonisingly close to securing a semi-finals berth, losing the match lead in the 78th minute to go down 19-20 to the reigning World U20s and Six Nations champions, England.
Sione Tuipulotu scored Australia’s only try and the kicking of Harrison Goddard kept Australia in front for the entire first half, which was dominated by the youthful Australian side.
After France beat Georgia 54-0 in their Pool, Australia needed to win to make it into the semifinals as the second seed or draw with a bonus point to secure the coveted wildcard spot for the best runner-up in the Pools.
BMW Australia U20s Head Coach Simon Cron said: “We put ourselves in a position to win it and we didn’t, which is not what you want. We did some really good things defensively, we created some opportunities, but at the end of the day we put ourselves in a position to win and we should have won that, but we didn’t.
“In the first half, we probably should have come away with a few more points. We made some good line breaks but we just didn’t quite get across the line on a few occasions where I thought that we could have. From my point of view, I thought the first half was pretty good rugby. The game slowed down a bit in the second half, there were more stoppages for injuries and we didn’t kick as well for field position, and rather than finishing them off we made a few errors.
“Some guys really worked their hearts out, out there, and the type of rugby they played was really good. All the boys did everything they could to win it. They were devastated with the result. We came here to win, and we didn’t, so that’s going to be part of their development, to be able to push the reset button and be able to go again.”
With both teams playing for a crucial semi-final berth, the knockout game kicked off at a frenetic pace with both teams vying for physical supremacy. Australia was first to assert themselves, forcing a penalty off the first England scrum feed, which gave Harry Goddard the chance to put the first points on the board.
In the ninth minute, a brilliant Liam Wright turnover on halfway gave Australia momentum to set up some impressive phase play that proved unstoppable. It was eventually a Harry Hocking’s offload that allowed Sione Tuipulotu to dart over the line to register the first five-pointer of the game.
The Australian U20s came close to scoring again in the 21st minute but ended opting for the three points after a penalty was awarded. Moments later, England raced the ball into Australia’s half which led to an outstanding one-handed try in the corner from Gabriel Ibitoye to overcome what seemed to be a try-saving tackle from Henry Hutchison. Max Malins’ conversion took England into double figures.
After Australia dominated possession in the first half, a renewed English outfit emerged from the break and, after being dominated in the scrum, rang in some front row changes early in the second half.
England found themselves within inches of a try when a Hamish Stewart kick was charged down on the English line and the consequent scrum gave England the field position to attempt to dot the ball down in the corner. A desperate tackle from the Australian defence saw the TMO declare ‘ no try’, but seconds later England had another chance off a rolling maul, which they didn’t waste. Marcus Street scored the five points and an impressive conversion from the sideline saw England take the lead for the first time in the game.
Australia had the chance to reclaim the lead in the 68th minute but Harry Nucifora’s penalty attempt fell wide. He made up for it three minutes later by slotting a 45m penalty after replacement number eight Robert Valetini forced a penalty from a huge tackle. The kick edged Australia to a tenuous 19-17 lead.
With nerves racing in the last few minutes, an overzealous tackle from Harry Johnson-Holmes saw him yellow-carded and England offered the chance for a crucial penalty in the 78th minute which Max Malins calmly slotted.
With 14 men, the Australians recomposed to try and drive towards the line and create space for a vital drop goal. Working solidly after the 80-minute mark, the Australians looked to be gaining ground but when English Captain Zach Mercer made a critical turnover, it was game over for the Aussies as the English quickly kicked the ball into touch.
The U20s semi-finals will now see New Zealand take on France, and England takes on South Africa.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
2 mins: Harrison Goddard pen AUS 3-0 ENG
7 mins: Theo Brophy-Clews pen AUS 3-3 ENG
9 mins: Sione Tuipulotu try AUS 8-3 ENG
10 mins: Harrison Goddard con AUS 10-3 ENG
15 mins: Harrison Goddard pen AUS 13-3 ENG
21 mins: Harrison Goddard pen AUS 16-3 ENG
23 mins: Gabriel Ibitoye try AUS 16-8 ENG
24 mins: Max Malins con AUS 16-10 ENG
HALF TIME
51 mins: Marcus Street try AUS 16-15 ENG
52 mins: Max Malins con AUS 16-17 ENG
72 mins: Harry Nucifora pen AUS 19-17 ENG
78 mins: Max Malins pen AUS 19-20 ENG
FULL TIME
Australia 19 (Sione Tuipulotu try; Harrison Goddard con; Harrison Goddard 3 pens; Harry Nucifora pen) were defeated by England 20 (Gabriel Ibitoye, Marcus Street tries; Max Malins 2 cons; Brophy-Clews pen; Max Malins pens)
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