RUGBY : England paid the price for a poor start as Australia held off a strong second-half fightback to secure a 26-16 victory in a compelling Gillette Four Nations clash.
England paid the price for a poor start as Australia held off a strong second-half fightback to secure a 26-16 victory in a compelling Gillette Four Nations clash.
Australia looked set to hand out a repeat of the thrashing they inflicted on England in last year’s World Cup as they raced ahead with five first-half tries at the DW Stadium.
But Tony Smith’s men dominated the second half and restored respectability ahead of a crunch clash against New Zealand with tries from Sam Burgess, Gareth Ellis and Lee Smith.
