Australia's Chris Lawrence, left, scores a try against England during their Four Nations rugby league match at Wembley Stadium. Photo / AP
Australia advanced to the Four Nations final by extending its 16-year winning streak over England with a 36-20 victory in the second match of the doubleheader at Wembley Stadium.
In a full-blooded and physically uncompromising clash in front of a vociferously parochial crowd, Australia was stretched to its limit in holding off an England team expected to provide minimal resistance.
Instead, Australia never completely managed to shake off England in a match that had it all 10 tries, expert kicking, individual handling skills, brutal defence and even an all-in brawl that had the 42,344 supporters baying for blood.
Luke Lewis, Tony Williams, Greg Inglis, Paul Gallen, Darius Boyd and Chris Lawrence scored for Australia, while Ryan Hall crossed twice and Jack Reed once for England.
Kangaroos halfback Johnathan Thurston's perfect goal-kicking of six from six attempts was critical as Australia won its seventh straight match against England since last losing to the same opponents in the opening match of the 1995 World Cup.
New Zealand, which earlier beat Wales 36-0 in the first match at Wembley, will play England next Saturday in Hull for the right to play Australia in the Oct. 19 final in Leeds.
England's rousing beginning to the match was spearheaded by prop James Graham's charges into the opposition's forwards. Graham, who will play for the Canterbury Bulldogs in Australia's NRL next season, continually bent back the Kangaroos' defensive line to set the tone.
Australia fullback Billy Slater saved a certain try in the ninth minute by stripping the ball from Ben Westwood just as the England second-rower attempted to get his arms free to place it over the line following a clever pass from five-eighth Kevin Sinfield.
Two minutes later, Slater couldn't perform similar heroics. Sinfield sent a cutout pass for winger Hall to sprint toward the corner and skilfully place the ball down despite a last-ditch shoulder charge by Slater.
With England halfback Rangi Chase a constant danger with his darts around the ruck and left winger Tom Briscoe an elusive returner of the ball, Australia struggled to match the hosts' energy and commitment until Lewis scored in the corner in the 17th minute.
Lewis was on the end of a long cutout pass from Boyd, flicked on by Inglis, and he evaded a couple of defenders to touch down for a 6-4 lead.
Back came England. Graham and captain Jamie Peacock were replaced by the equally imposing Adrian Morley and Jamie Jones-Buchanan to maintain the physicality, while livewire fullback Sam Tomkins kept ducking under and through tackles due to his low-slung running style.
But an attempt by England to gain more ground from a tap quarterline restart by trying to kick for touch backfired when the ball failed to go out, allowing Australia to attack once more rather than defend.
The error proved crucial. From a scrappy buildup, Australia captain Darren Lockyer threw a long pass to Williams, and the player nicknamed "T-Rex" due to his massive frame shrugged off the challenge of Heighington to run unopposed to the line for the easiest of tries in the 30th.
Again England wouldn't lie down. Substitute Jon Wilkin bounced out of Keith Galloway's attempted tackle, the ball was spread for Tomkins to split the line and flick a pass for Reed to find Hall, who brushed off the tackle of Boyd to scored a second unconverted try right on halftime.
Simple errors were hurting England. Four minutes after the break, a penalty for illegally stripping the ball from Galloway gave the Kangaroos six tackles inside the attacking quarter. They only needed a couple before Thurston's long pass caught Reed out of position and gave Inglis an easy try.
But for a contentious double-movement penalty in the 48th, England could've been within reach again. The ball was spread wide with Briscoe only having Boyd to beat, the winger's arm didn't appear to be grounded before he put the ball over the line but referee Henry Perenara thought otherwise.
Instead, Australia went up the other end and scored through Gallen after a beautifully delayed flat pass from substitute Cooper Cronk.
Reed made amends for his positional error in Inglis' try by rising high to claim a bomb from Sinfield in an aerial duel with Boyd and run away to score as England cut the gap to 24-14 in the 60th minute.
But Lawrence and Boyd scored late tries for Australia, as did Heighington for England, for a final victory margin that flattered the visitors.
Australia 36 (Luke Lewis, Tony Williams, Greg Inglis, Paul Gallen, Darius Boyd, Chris Lawrence tries; Johnathan Thurston 6 conversions),
England 20 (Ryan Hall 2, Jack Reed, Chris Heighington tries; Kevin Sinfield 2 conversions). HT: 12-8.
- AP
-AP
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