Last week’s abiding rugby image was of a smiling Kurtley Beale, clad only in his budgie smugglers, standing next to Prince William. Seven days on, it was a story of canary yellow and pursed lips. Australia and Beale had their moments, but the loss of two key players to the sin-bin and some desperately tight refereeing calls ultimately denied the visitors another victory party.
Had they kept 15 men on the field throughout, who knows? While England looked far more lively, particularly after Maro Itoje’s introduction, they were up against opponents who, on a drier day, would have been even more of a handful. Michael Cheika, now beaten by his old adversary Eddie Jones in five straight shootouts, can only move on to Scotland, lamenting what might have been.
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