Australia try in added time beats England 42-37 as Sua’ali’i makes eye-catching debut

LONDON (AP) — Australia scored a try in the fourth minute of added time to beat England 42-37 win in a classic test match featuring an eye-catching rugby debut by code-hopper Joseph Sua’ali’i at Twickenham on Saturday.

Maro Itoje looked to have secured England an 11th victory in its last 12 meetings with Australia with a converted 79th-minute try, only to knock the ball on at the restart to give the Wallabies a final chance with the clock in the red.

After seven phases, Max Jorgensen collected Len Ikitau’s stunning flicked offload and ran through from 40 meters to dive over in the left corner and seal a memorable win at the start of its first Grand Slam tour of Britain and Ireland in eight years.

England has never scored so many points and lost at Twickenham, with this latest setback coming after a 24-22 reverse against New Zealand last weekend.

“Leaking 42 points at home is unacceptable,” England captain Jamie George said.

Each team scored five tries in a breathless encounter that might be most memorable for a seamless transition to the 15-man code by the 21-year-old Sua’ali’i, who was playing at outside center in his first professional game of rugby union after switching from rugby league last month.

He set up one try with a deft offload over a defender and showcased his supreme athleticism to vindicate Australia coach Joe Schmidt’s decision to throw him into the team straight away, five years after Sua’ali’i’s last outing in the 15-man code — for Australian Schoolboys.

“Just getting the win like that was amazing,” said Sua’ali’i, who lived up to his billing as a potential savior of Australian rugby ahead of the British and Irish Lions touring Down Under next year and the 2027 Rugby World Cup hosted by Australia.

“It was very tough. I was just trying to get the ball as much as I can and I enjoyed my first game back.”

Australia’s first win at Twickenham since the 2015 World Cup hardly looked on when England pushed into a 15-3 lead after 20 minutes on the back of two close-range tries by flanker Chandler Cunningham-South.

The tourists’ fightback was sparked by Sua’ali’i, who showed his dexterity by popping a pass over England back George Furbank and into the path of Tom Wright to allow the fullback to cruise over in the left corner.

Sua’ali’i’s skills even extended to winning a restart with an extraordinary leap above Itoje and giving possession to the Wallabies, who — minutes later — went over for a second try through captain Harry Wilson after Tate McDermott’s break.

When Noah Lolesio booted a penalty for a 20-18 halftime lead, England had conceded more points at home to Australia than ever before.

Jeremy Williams barged through Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s tackle to extend Australia’s lead to 25-18 and it was soon a 10-point cushion after Lolesio’s penalty.

Replacment back Ollie Sleightholme then scored two tries — in the 57th and 68th minutes — to regain the lead for England, setting up a scarcely believable finish.

George Ford’s misplaced pass behind Ollie Lawrence was picked up by Andrew Kellaway, who ran from halfway and weaved his way over the line and put Australia back in front.

Then came Itoje’s score that looked to have won it for England.

Ikitau and Jorgensen had other ideas as the English blew another lead, as they did in three straight losses to the All Blacks before this match.

While England will look to end its run of four straight defeats when South Africa visits Twickenham next weekend, Australia continues its tour at Wales before trips to Scotland and Ireland.

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby