Key events
22 min: England are getting a lot of ball to their captain, and he’s causing mayhem in the Australia defence. But it’s Farnworth this time dinking the ball through on the right wing for Young to chase, up against Walsh. It’s very close to a try but the replay clearly shows the ball just eludes the England man.
21 min: No try on-field, confirmed by video ref. But England have the ball on the Australia 20.
21 min: This is great. Suddenly England are on the other end, Williams dinks a bobbling ball through under the sticks, Walsh fails to get hold of it … and Knowles pounces and touches it down. But it looks like at least one knock on in there …
18 min: England appear to be targeting Mark Nawaqanitawase. He looks rattled on the right wing … but suddenly Josh Addo-Carr has the ball on the left hurtling towards the home 20-metre line.
And then the damp Merseyside air makes its first telling contribution, as the winger is unlucky to lose his footing, sliding into touch himself with little encouragement from England’s defence.
16 min: “Have that,” says Jonathan Davies on commentary as Matty Lees absolutely flattens Crichton with a heavy hit just inside the Australia half.
It’s a couple of messy exchanges but England have the Kangaroos pinned in their own half. It’s much, much better from Wane’s side so far.
15 min: More good possession threatening the left flank, but Morgan Knowles spills the ball when under little pressure (he says, eating biscuits at a keyboard while these fellas have massively built rivals in their peripheral vision).
14 min: In the blink of an eye, Dom Young is sent towards the opposite corner. Walsh and Shibasaki bundle him into touch just the wrong side of the flag, but video ref adjudicates that they hit him high and suddenly England have another penalty. This time they’re tapping rather than kicking.
12 min: Williams sends a high ball to the left corner – Nawaqanitawase gets their first to halt Johnstone’s charge. But England are enjoying a good spell here …
11 min: Walsh thinks he’s sent Shibasaki through into space but his ball to Australia’s left wing is clearly forward. That gifts possession to England in the visiting half. Watkins is licking his lips for another go at pressing the initiative.
9 min: Lees takes the high ball from Australia’s kick-off. Farnworth makes valuable yards, and Smith sends up a tester deep into Australia’s half. Well taken by Nawaqanitawase, so now the Kangaroos get another set.
England 2-2 Australia (Smith pen)
8 min: Smith pops it over. Honours even again.
6 min: Ensuing England penalty sends them up the pitch for a first meaningful set of six. Watkins gets a first go at the Australian defence, but no way through.
But then a chance on the left! Johnstone sees a glimpse of the line, but gets hauled in. But a jittery visiting defence gift them more possession, and suddenly it’s a penalty in front of the sticks. Harry Smith sizes it up …
4 min: Better defence from England, as the Kangaroos fail to make ground with their next set. Brimson gets the crowd roaring as he tries to burst through on picking up the long kick … and suddenly it’s kicked off again. Oof. Collins on Farnworth this time.
England 0-2 Australia (Cleary pen)
3 min: Straight down the middle from Cleary.
2 min: Young and Fa’asuamaleaui have been popped off to the bin, although to be fair it could have been any two players. Already it’s a 12 v 12 game, but Cleary has what should be a regulation penalty to pop over.
2 min: Early chance! Crichton almost bursts through, a pass goes awry … and suddenly all hell breaks loose on England’s 20-metre line after Grant and Litten have a bit of handbags. Everyone’s found someone to tangle with. Might be some cards coming here …
1 min: First set of six for Australia, made more comfortable by an early penalty as England get messy trying to pin Lindsay Collins.
First half starts
PEEP! England to kick off …
That’s the pre-match pageantry done … which included some impressively impassioned anthem renditions from both sides. Now: the action.
First up, a moment of “non-silence” in aid of Movember. Primal Scream’s Come Together soundtracks a period of applause and footstamping.
Next up it’s anthems time.
The teams are coming out at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Five mins to KO …
Wane has also been talking to the BBC.
“We’ve trained really well,” he said. “Australia are a champion team, we need to be a lot better.”
Of AJ Brimson, he says he’s “really quick, organises well … it was a tough decision [to leave Welsby out] but I’ve been so impressed by AJ.”
On scrum-half Harry Smith: “He’s a natural organiser, kicks well … gives us a real steadiness that we didn’t have this week.
“The fans will be behind us and we’ll get what we deserve by the end.”
Shaun Wane acknowledges that it’s “make or break” for England today. The England head coach has handled the combination of kind-hearted diplomacy and ruthless reshuffling well after his side’s Wembley horrorshow.
“It didn’t look like a Test match to me,” he said. “It wasn’t physical – they were better in many areas, so this week has to look like a real Test match and we need to give a better account of ourselves.”
Australia head coach Kevin Walters has backed Grant to shine in the captain’s role today.
“Harry and all of the senior players for that matter stepped up after Isaah’s unfortunate injury last week,” Walters said. “While we’d love to have Isaah out there, he’ll still be contributing in many other ways around the group this week. He’s a natural leader, and so too is Harry so we’re in great hands this week.
Aaron Bower
All change. In truth, something had to give following the nature of England’s performance at Wembley last weekend but as Shaun Wane’s side look to send the Ashes to a deciding Test in Leeds next Saturday, there are wholesale changes that the hosts hope will provoke a reaction both on and off the field.
Wembley was underwhelming last weekend on multiple fronts. England limped to a fairly miserable 26-6 defeat, in which they showed little of what had been promised in the build-up to a first Ashes series in 22 years. But the atmosphere felt flat, in part due to what Wane’s men delivered, but also due to the fact the stadium wasn’t full.
That changes on Saturday, with Hill Dickinson Stadium sold out months in advance and likely to provide a more boisterous atmosphere, the kind of which should instil some fire into England. Wane admitting this week that returning north represented the chance to play in front of “real rugby league fans” was a Freudian slip, but you sense all involved are relishing the opportunity.
The England coach has also rung the changes on the pitch as big-time rugby league returns to Liverpool. Chief among them? The irony of Wane calling on an Australian-born player to salvage the series against the Kangaroos, with AJ Brimson set to be thrown into the heat of battle at full-back for his Test debut on Saturday.
Brimson’s inclusion for England adds spice and doubtless a ton of on-pitch needle. The Gold Coast Titans full-back was born in Brisbane, represented Australia in 2019’s World Cup 9s … and only switched allegiance to England in the summer. His mother, Vanessa, is from south London.
Great to see Mikolaj Oledzki on England’s bench today. Gavin Willacy caught up with him before the series, and the 26-year-old’s journey from Poland, not having a clue what rugby league was, to an Ashes squad is a gorgeous sporting tale.
With KO in 30 mins, this is well worth you time …
Australia have a new captain for the day. An early blow to Isaah Yeo’s head after a collision with Dom Young at Wembley forced him off, and concussion protocols rule him out completely. As a result, Harry Grant will skipper the side for the first time from hooker.
Sydney’s Lindsay Collins comes in at prop, with Patrick Carrigan moving to Yeo’s spot at loose forward.
Penrith prop Lindsay Smith takes the spot Collins vacated on the bench.
Predictably, changes for England as they chase the series. Gold Coast Titans full-back AJ Brimson makes his debut at full-back, coming in for Jack Welsby who had a particularly tough time at Wembley last week. Wane stood up for the St Helens man in the aftermath of the first Test, but he has dropped him completely.
Wigan’s Harry Smith takes Mikey Lewis’s starting place at scrum-half, though the Hull KR man is a versatile bench option.
At hooker, Jez Litten replaces Daryl Clark, while at second row, Kallum Watkins comes in for John Bateman, with Kai Pearce-Paul sliding over from No 12 to No 11.
There’s no place on the bench for either Bateman or Clark this week, with those spots taken by Lewis, St Helens prop Alex Walmsley, who keeps his spot as an interchange option, Canberra second row Morgan Smithies and Leeds prop Mikolaj Oledzki.
Second Test teams
England Brimson; Young, Farnworth, Wardle, Johnstone; Williams, Smith; McMeeken, Litten, Lees, Pearce-Paul, Watkins, Knowles. Interchange Lewis, Walmsley, Smithies, Oledzki.
Australia Walsh; Nawaqanitawase, Staggs, Shibasaki, Addo-Carr; Munster, Cleary; Collins, Grant, Fa’asuamaleaui, Crichton, Young, Carrigan. Interchange Dearden, Smith, Cotter, Koloamatangi.
Preamble
Good afternoon … and good v, v early morning to some distant viewers!
It’s second Test time, and according to the bookmakers – as well as anyone with eyes who watched last week’s opener at Wembley last Saturday – chances are the series could be decided today.
The feeling pre-match last week was that Shaun Wane’s hosts would have to get out of the traps well, get their noses in front, and then dog it out until the final hooter. England managed the first element of that, were game in the opening half-hour, but sagged alarmingly thereafter, with the Kangaroos drawing first blood and just taking the game further and further away. Indeed Wane’s side didn’t get on the scoresheet until they were 26-0 down.
Newsflash to those who were unaware: Australia are a hell of a side. Reece Walsh and Angus Crichton helped themselves to two tries apiece, but the speed and cohesion the whole team showed across the field was, frankly, frightening.
So what hopes today for a series going the distance? Well Wane’s rung the changes, of which more imminently.
The venue is an unknown quantity for anything other than football, and all eyes should be on the first high ball – the wind has a tendency to shimmy without warning by the Mersey, showers are predicted, and all it can take is one spilled ball within your own 20-metre line for momentum to shift …
KO at Hill Dickinson Stadium is 2.30pm GMT, 1.30am AEDT
