England vs Australia LIVE: May day! England wing Jonny May scores the first try… then scores AGAIN minutes later after a brilliant breakaway try from their own half: Follow along right here
- England vs Australia kicks-off today at 8:15am BST/ 4:15pm JST Local Time
- UK viewers can watch the Rugby World Cup clash live on ITV or ITV Hub
- Eddie Jones men are bookmakers favourite to progress to the semi-final
England take on Australia today in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Japan as both sides look to progress to the semi-final to take on either Ireland or New Zealand.
Eddie Jones’ men will come into the game confident having not lost a game against the Wallabies since their horror Rugby World Cup pool exit in 2015 with three out of the six wins being on Australia’s home soil.
Michael Cheika will be hopeful he can lead his Wallaby side to their first win against the Red Roses in over four years with his job potentially at stake should he not deliver a Rugby World Cup victory.
Sportsmail’s JAMES DUTTON will provide live RWC 2019 coverage of England vs Australia including score, sin bins, injuries, substitutions and more.
Host commentator
Lealiifano sinks the penalty for three points. England’s lead is eight at the half-way stage.
Another Australia penalty as England collapse the scrum. With just over a minute to go they will go for the posts.
Kerevi races through. Strong runner, sees off Tuilagi, keeps on going before Slade gets him down. England think they have turned it over but there’s a knock on and Australia have scrum in the England 22.
Super-human stuff from Tom Curry in the space of less than a minute. First, the Sale flanker won a turnover in his own half to ignite a counter-attack, then he was up fast chasing a kick and absolutely smashed Reece Hodge with a sledgehammer tackle to win a scrum put-in. Remarkable energy and physicality.
36 mins: Australia win the turnover. Billy Vunipola pinned, Australia go for touch.
CHRIS FOY: Eddie Jones will be enjoying how his selection changes have panned out so far – on the whole. Back at 10, Owen Farrell has rediscovered his authority as a distributor and goal-kicker. Manu Tuilagi is having a major impact already with his close-quarters blasts over the gainline and Henry Slade showed vision with his assist for Jonny May’s second try. Up front, Mako Vunipola has been heavily involved in attack and defence.
Australia come unstuck again, long throw and they get bogged down. England win it back and Watson almost gets down on the wing. Hodge claims it before he’s absolutely slammed by Tom Curry. He can’t release, and England win another penalty. Australia are all over the place here. England have put in at the scrum, Australia need a minute to regroup.
Farrell clears into touch to halfway and Australia have a lineout in the England half.
And another England penalty, Australia are pinged as Christian Lealiifano fails to roll away. Farrell straight in front of the posts and he makes no mistake.
Jamie George tiptoeing his way through into the England 22. But the ball is loose and Australia can break, but it bobbles loose AGAIN! Australia are offside and England have a penalty, they go for the scrum.
26 mins: Australia have replied quickly here, they break through the tackles. Penalty advantage against Jamie George in front of the posts. Australia have numbers but England get back and cover.
They’re going for the posts.
Wow, where’s that come from?
WILL KELLEHER IN OITA: That is Jonny May’s 26th England try. He is now two behind Jason Robinson on the all-time list… but a long way behind Rory Underwoood.
OH WAIT!
Make that 27! Brilliant from Henry Slade to put him in after the intercept, and May had the pace to finish.
Australia on the charge but it’s been intercepted and Henry Slade suddenly has the whole pitch to run at. He doesn’t have the gas, he kicks ahead and the ball drops nicely for Jonny May who goes over for a second try in a matter of minutes.
Farrell nails it from by the touchline. England have a four-point lead.
THERE IT IS! Jonny May goes over in the corner, and you have to say it was coming after that level of pressure. Anthony Watson almost through on one side as he sidesteps round a few challenges. Eventually it’s recycled around to May on the other side and he goes over in the corner. Well-constructed, good patience, England on the board and ahead.
17 mins: Good response from England. They win a scrum bang in front of the posts and finally have the chance to build some pressure on the Australians.
England build. They go wide through Slade and then Tom Curry is stopped yards short, eventually the ball pops free and Michael Hooper drags the ball back for a critical turnover. Walloped away by Will Genia.
It’s been a decidedly uncomfortable start for England. They had prepared for Australia to build through the phases and play a possession game, but the early tempo of the Wallabies’ attack has stretched the Red Rose defence to breaking point. Now Kurtley Beale has carved through. England need to gain some control here. Instead of imposing themselves for the kick-off, as intended, they have been passive and under the cosh.
Over she goes.
12 mins: Slade is robbed of the ball, his first involvement, and Kurtley Beale has it and just runs and runs straight through the middle. He’s finally brought down over the game line and then a high tackle from Vunipola. Now Christian Lealiifano will go for the posts.
10 mins: Error-strewn start from both sides and Australia this time throw straight into touch. Australia have seen 90 per cent of the ball but England now have it in the opposition half.
WILL KELLEHER IN OITA: The pitch here does not look that amazing. Already, following the warm-ups, there are cut up patches – especially near the goal-line on the near side. That could become an issue in the scrums later.
7 mins: But now Australia are penalised. A few slips in the scrum, the turf cutting up and England get a chance to kick into touch. Free-kick beyond halfway and they regroup from there.
Australia keep the ball and kick to touch midway through England’s half.
5 mins: England put in at the scrum but it’s Sinckler who’s penalised for early engagement and Australia have a free-kick deep in England’s 22.
Australia have started well here, seeing the ball early and they’re running with the backs out wide. Into a ninth phase now. It’s a ferocious start, but it’s a knock on and England have the penalty.
We have failed to kick-off on time here. But we are now, finally, underway.
A moment of silence for last week’s typhoon, before we hear the two anthems.
Kick-off approaching here and there are plenty of white shirts around the stadium. There are expected to be around 8,000 England fans at this match, compared to 4,000 supporting the Wallabies. All was quiet in Oita and nearby Beppu until yesterday and then suddenly the hordes descended. Hotels in the area are at bursting point.
A quick snapshot on the betting this morning, with odds from SportNation.bet
England 1/3
Australia 13/5
Draw 24/1
Handicap
England -9 evens
Australia +9 evens
-Despite being underdogs fractionally more people are betting on Australia to win (46%) than England (45%).
-The odds on a draw have been cut to 24/1 (from 33/1). Bookies expecting this to be a close game.
SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: Quarter-finals are agony. They are the most nerve-jangling games of all, brutal one-offs in which anything can happen.
As a coach you feel like your job is on the line – mainly because it is. I’ve experienced two World Cup quarter-finals – one win, one defeat – and both left me drained. I’m so happy to be in the TV studio this weekend and not on the touchline.
The psychology of quarter-finals is strange. First, you must realise that semi-finals are safe havens compared to the minefield of quarter-finals.
CHRIS FOY: An English golden age could be wrecked on Saturday by rivals in golden shirts. Four years of relative prosperity would end if Eddie Jones’ team lose to Australia in Oita.
Those are the sky-high stakes, as England are well aware. They are expected to beat the Wallabies for a seventh time in succession and progress to the last four.
If they fall at the quarter-final it would be considered a failure. Defeat is unthinkable.
Owen Farrell and his team-mates have gone from a bye week to a do-or-die week. After their final pool game against France was cancelled because of Typhoon Hagibis, England had an extended build-up to this match.
The mood is bubbling nicely in Oita. Kick-off is just over half-an-hour and there is so much more than a place in the World Cup semi-final at stake here.
Here we are, England haven’t played in a while have they? Indeed it’s been a whole fortnight since the victory over Argentina with last weekend’s pool decider against France called off due to the weather. But we are ready to go in Oita and it’s an era on the line for Eddie Jones.
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