That was a whirlwind of a game for the live blogger and I’m spent. Sorry I couldn’t get to your late flurry of emails and tweets. Don’t you hate it when the game gets in the way of your correspondence?
Wallabies fans will be smarting, no doubt, but I’m sure most will find admiration for this England side, one that came, saw and conquered. After the Brexit, never mind the stunning de-crowning of Miss Great Britain, this result will no doubt put a smile on many faces that are in desperate need of one.
I’ll leave you with Robert Kitson’s match report. Fare well, dear readers, and cheerio.
For the first time since 1971 the Wallabies have lost their first three matches of the calendar year. Having made the World Cup final I can’t say many would have expected such a flat start to 2016. But England deserve enormous credit. They’ve outplayed Australia comprehensively.
Tonight’s game, though free-flowing, wasn’t really a classic. There were too many mistakes and sloppy moments (and, possibly, points) for that. But it sure was entertaining.
Farrell is man of the match, by the way, and now Hartley is on the dais accepting the Cook Cup. He graciously thanks his hosts and praises his team for completing their goal of winning 3-0. “We go again, boys, we go again!”
England players get their breath back as they take in their comprehensive series victory. Photograph: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
Dylan Hartley now, beaming brightly to the point you barely notice his ears, which wouldn’t look out of place in an aloo gobi. “Obviously very happy with the tour. We can all agree it wasn’t out perfect game today but we put everything into it, it was our last 80 minutes of the season. I’m really proud of the guys. And we’ve made history.”
Stephen Moore: “It’s been a tough series, and you can’t give up 44 points and expect to win a game... We’ve got to keep belief. To England’s credit they deserved it. They played well and we weren’t quite good enough.”
Don’t look now, Stephen, but the All Blacks await.
Schalk van der Merwe, en route to Cape Town, will be delighted. “Following your updates ... from an Emirates flight 30 000 feet in the sky. Go ENGLAND...”
Time to celebrate. Order some more in-flight peanuts!
David Bradley puts it out there: “[This] must be one of England’s greatest sporting achievements ever. Not really a big rugby fan but fantastic for English rugby.”
Courtney Lawes, left, and Jonathan Joseph celebrate England’s victory. Photograph: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
80 min The Wallabies regain the ball after England fail to hold possession and a scrum is called as the final siren sounds.
Australia win the ball and move the ball to the right wing, then back towards the left. Foley gets himself close to the England line before Phipps picks up from the back of the ruck and rifles a ball to Naiyaravoro standing inside the left corner post.
78 min From an England lineout on the Wallabies 22 England build through a dozen or so phases of one-out running, the kind that eats minutes on a clock. On phase 12 the Wallabies, desperate for the ball, are penalised when Phipps steps over the ruck taking out Care. It’s 35m out, right in front.
73 min Australia find touch on the England 22. England win the lineout and get rid of the ball in the manner you’d get rid of a hand grenade with the pin pulled out of it.
Haylett-Petty soon returns the kick. Brown kicks it back. Haylett-Petty does the same. Perhaps it is an unexploded hand grenade.
Maro Itoje of England wins a lineout. Photograph: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
71 min From the kickoff Australia swarm on Brown and force a loose ball. England dive on it but are penalised for not releasing. This is right in front and Foley will take the certain three points on offer.
Jamie George is over! What a comedy of errors in the lead-up. Phipps picked up a loose ball facing his own posts and passed into Folau’s boots. England regained possession and Itoje drove ever so close to the line before England recycled. Danny Care then passed left to George and the ball hit George’s knees and was propelled into the in-goal. George followed through to score his first Test try!
Jamie George dives on the ball to score. Photograph: Dean Lewins/EPA
He’s rather happy ... Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
As are his England team-mates. Photograph: Dean Lewins/EPA
65 min England building momentum and find touch 15m out from the Wallabies’ line. Polota-Nau to take it from the spot where Moore threw straight to Robshaw early in the second half. No such error this time.
64 min England pinch the ball in midfield and they shift it left. From Ford to Farrell to Watson, and the winger has a sliver of daylight in front of him. Enough to get the crowd on its feet. But Foley pulls the blinds, bundling Watson into touch.
63 min There’s another penalty for England for Australia not rolling away. Nice pressure release for England, that one, as they were metres out from their own line.
Jonathan Dowson writes: “This game is sounding like a classic end to end Test match….. sadly I’m working the nightshift and it’s not on in the office.”
Not on in the office? What kind of Dickensian hellhole do you work in?
That was too easy! Australia pass laterally along the England 22 with nothing seemingly on. But Toomua steps off his right and he brushes out of Billy Vunipola’s tackle. Folau looms up on his left shoulder like a sports car and he outpaces the cover defence to score.
Israel Folau dives over to give Australia the lead. Photograph: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
Folau, his team-mates and Wallabies fans are happy, England’s Owen Farrell less so. Photograph: Jason Reed/Reuters
51 min Possible try to Australia! Phipps zips right, draws Itoje, and offloads to Hooper running an angled line back inside. Hooper is hit by three tacklers but he wiggles and wriggles and reaches out to place the tip of the ball just on, or just short of, the line.
49 min Toomua breaches the England left-side defence and then Coleman, like a rampaging giraffe, gallops into the England 22. Youngs brings him down and though the ball comes loose the first knock-on is called against England.
Australia scrum 8m out.
Maro Itoje eyes Michael Hooper during the setting of the scrum. Photograph: Dean Lewins/EPA
From a scrum a few metres out the Wallabies steel themselves for a shove ... but Vunipola catches them offguard, picks the ball up from the back of the scrum and scoots down the blindside to dive over despite the cover tackle of Hooper and Haylett-Petty!
Billy Vunipola of England holds off Michael Hooper to score their third try. Photograph: Rob Griffith/AP
44 min England almost score! From a Wallaby line-out on their own try line Stephen Moore throws it over Coleman and straight into the arms of a charging Robshaw. He looks certain to score but gold jerseys converge on him and, though he gets over the line, he’s held up!
42 min Coleman gets into the action, taking a ball from his fellow twin tower, Skelton. Slipper then burrows a little deeper before Foley attempts a cheeky midfield grubber for Hooper sprinting through the line. Nowell is on to it, however, and he cleans up.
An England kick then hits the overhead wires, I presume the ones the overhead camera runs along. Not an internet wire that a dodgy electrician installed.
40 min Australia push into England’s half through Skelton, Folau and Slipper as the siren goes. McMahon finds half a yard, Haylett-Petty finds 10 more on the right wing. Then a cross-field kick is aimed for Folau who out jumps Nowell a few metres out from England’s line — but as he falls to earth the ball is dislodged and lost. Had he stayed on his feet he would have taken some stopping.
But we’re going back for an off-side penalty and Foley will kick from 20m out, five metres to the right of the posts.
38 min A nice touch finder by Ford takes play from the England 22 to 35m out from the Aussie line.
After winning the lineout Australia sweep left but Vunipola pilfers the ball like a bully pinching sweets! England settle through six phases but then, on the edge of the Wallabies’ 22, Youngs throws a suspect short ball that makes the crowd groan. Yes, says the referee, it was forward.
37 min Fardy bumps and grinds over the England 22 but an Itoje knee knocks the ball out of Foley’s hands at the back of a ruck and a knock-on is called.
36 min The Wallabies have the ball in hand again and a chip over the top is caught by Billy Vunipola. Just as well, too, as Folau was bearing down on it.
34 min Foley’s kick from 35m out shaves the outside of the left upright. Australia never seem to have the quality of goal-kicker that the northern hemisphere nations seem to routinely possess. That’s five dropped points for the Wallabies tonight through missed kicks.
29 min Youngs dances through a weak tackle and is suddenly in space within the Australia 22, but the space closes much faster than that garbage compacter in Star Wars.
But moments later, Youngs takes play down the blind side, Watson kicks inside off the outside of his right boot and Mike Brown catches a room service bounce...
28 min From the kickoff Skelton takes out Anthony Watson as the England winger leaps to catch the re-start. It looks bad, and he did take him out in the air, but after a replay you can see Skelton is clearly looking at the ball the whole time. Still, his arm — which is about the size of a 5-year-old child — drags Watson down while he was in the air.
24 min Australia’s scrum caves in and England are awarded a penalty that Farrell could throw over with his eyes closed. He resists the temptation, however...
