The final match of the International Test Rugby series between Australia and England is this weekend and English Coach Eddie Jones has expressed the importance of the match by likening it to the World Cup Final. Continue reading for our Test Rugby Australia vs England Preview and Betting Tips.
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Australia vs England (Saturday 7.50pm AEST)
England has already claimed their first ever series win in Australia but this match still has a lot of importance as the Wallabies are playing for their pride and to avoid embarrassment whilst the English want to pull off the bragging rights and show to the rest of the rugby world what they are capable of.
The talking point out of the match on Saturday was the state of the field. The turf was terrible and it was nearly impossible for either team to compete at the scrum. It was a shame for the Wallabies, as they would have improved in that area after being outplayed in the opening Test. However, the key component of the match that should have been discussed at a higher level is how strong England’s defence was throughout the entirety of the match. They faced onslaught after onslaught and they only allowed the one try despite being pinned inside their own half defending for large periods. At the end of the first half they faced over 20 phases and an extra 3-minutes of attack from the Wallabies but they eventually forced the error in what was a massive mental win. The Australians continued to press in the second half but were lacking the x-factor to find a way through.
Jones has stretched his unbeaten streak as English coach to 8-games now and it has seen the nation rise from eighth in the World rankings to leap frog the Australians into second position. That isn’t enough for the Australian-born coach though as he has his sights set on climbing the mountain and overtaking the All-Blacks and to do that he will need his side to win this weekend. He will no doubt be lifting his side throughout the week and there aren’t many rugby minds tactically better than Jones.
The loss of David Pocock was clearly massive for the Wallabies on the weekend as his workload is hard to replace as well as the threat he brings to every breakdown. He forces the opponents to send in more players to protect the ball whilst it stops attackers from taking the risk of being isolated. Sean McMahon is a solid player but he has a lot to work on before he can begin to replace a player of Pococks standard.
The Wallabies will need to bring more in attack this weekend and they are clearly missing the capabilities that Kurtley Beale could bring to the squad. He has the ability to break the defensive line with his unorthodox play and would be a brilliant player to bring on in the later stages of the second half with tiring forwards in front of him. They will need to find someone to bring that type of x-factor this weekend as the English bodies will be getting tired from the travel and all of the defensive work they have been forced to do over the previous two weeks. The Australians tackle count didn’t reach 100 on the weekend whilst England as a team came close to surpassing the 300 mark.
We are leaning towards the Wallabies to get redemption in their third game, as there will be a fire burning in the belly of the side as they will want to avoid the embarrassment of three straight losses on home side to their English rivals. We believe it will be incredibly difficult for the English side to maintain their great defence for three games as eventually it must be cracked and Australia find a way through. It definitely won’t be easy for the Australians but they have the back line that is capable of it and we are expecting a big match from their fullback Israel Folau.
TIP: Australia 1-12 @ $2.70 with Sportsbet
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
