Entry 34, 6th December 2010
England Academy 38
Australian Schoolboys 30
Dave Elliott's England Academy team were the toast of the country on Saturday evening after a superb performance saw them twice overcome twelve point deficits to take the opening spoils in the two match series.
Following a midweek switch from Barrow, the impressive Leigh Sports Village was the setting for the first test between the Australian Schoolboys and England Academy and by the time kickoff arrived there was no sign of the snow that has proved so troublesome across the country.
The game also marked a return to the field for Super League referee Steve Ganson, himself no stranger to the international scene.
England opened the score after two minutes when two quick penalties saw them march 60 metres upfield. The first came on the back of a high tackle from prop Matthew Groat. This put England in ascendancy and after big drives from George Burgess and Ben Evans, Sam Powell sent the ball left for Wigan team-mate Danny Bridge to cross the line. Gareth O'Brien added the first of seven goals and it started a period of dominance for the English.
Starved of possession and haemorrhaging penalties, Australia were up against it as the England pack, led by powerhouse Burgess, who looks set to follow brothers Sam and Luke into the big time, set the platform.
During his first stint Burgess was excellent. With fearless running and just enough aggression in the tackle to have a few Australian forwards giving a sidewards glance everytime he was on the radar. Skipper Adam Milner and eventual man-of-the-match James Laithwaite also worked hard.
Milner knocked on at the line after four minutes but England continued to force the Australian defence to scramble with Jacob Gagan twice denying tries to opposite wing Reece Lyne.
A rare excursion took Australia into the England half when scrum-half Harry Siejka fired a superb touch finder and the hosts lost the ball. This allowed a counter attack down the left from Trent Jennings at the base of the scrum but Gareth O'Brien tackled back. It was a frustrating time for Australia with captain Paul Carter and Michael Chee-Kam penalised.
With 23 minutes gone, England missed out on a try when Milner's foot brushed the touchline and momentum was lost with the withdrawal of Burgess. It was the Joeys turn to pounce. First Siejka split the defence with a run right out of the Geoff Toovey box of tricks before linking with Gagan down the right. That fifty metre attack put the hosts on the back foot and after Jordan Thompson came up with an excellent tackle on Jack Wighton, he was unable to stop Jennings finish at the corner like Brent Tate, ducking his shoulder through the gap.
This gave a difficult conversion attempt to interchange forward Anthony Gadd but he kicked it to tie the game at 6-6 after 26 minutes.
Australia looked to be getting on top and were soon in the England twenty on the back of some strong running by Chee-Kam and a couple of rare penalties. Sadly for the Joeys, a promising move came to nought when Carter saw the ball slip from his grasp.
Back came the English and they scored a second try when Ryan King went over at the corner after Gareth O'Brien spun a pass out just like his Warrington mentor Lee Briers. O'Brien also converted but not to be outdone, Australia's response was quick and a swirling kick was spilled by England allowing Vaipuna Tia Kilifi to romp over. Gadd again levelled the game with his second goal.
There was still time for more drama when big David Klemmer was sinbinned for talking back to Mr Ganson before the break but Australia held out to go into halftime locked at 12-all.
The second half began superbly for the Australian Schoolboys and they caught England napping in the first few minutes of the half. The otherwise solid Matthew Russell knocked on at the back for England when he tried to recover a well placed Siejka grubber kick on the greasy surface.
The position was set and the Schoolboys went route one with simple ruck plays. After Siejka was stopped on the line, Redman dived over and Gadd's goal finally put some daylight between the Australians and England.
Despite England marching downfield to a threatening position, it was Australia that scored against the run of play. Unlucky Lyne saw a grubber kick for him expertly picked up by Gagan and he outflanked Rhys Evans and Gareth O'Brien before Lyne flew at him to haul him back inches from the try line.
With England's defence splintered, the ball came to the middle and Jack Wighton motored through to score another Gadd improved try.
Errors began to creep into play and after Australia spilled the ball England scrum-half Powell scooped up and went over, showing some nifty dance steps to evade the clutches of Tautau Moga that wouldn't have looked out of place on television on a Saturday night! O'Brien's third goal made it 24-18, but again Australia stepped up their efforts and notched a further six points when a Siejka linked with Carter for the Bulldogs player to go under the posts after 62 minutes.
At 30-18 it should have been game over for England but they blasted back into the contest three minutes later when a rare offload in the wet unlocked the defence.
Greg Burke got the pass away and Milner scurried down the middle before linking with Wigan's Leigh-born Matthew Sarsfield and he went over under the posts. It was then the turn of Thompson to get over the line when a towering kick from O'Brien was spilled by Henare Wells after 69 minutes and the centre was quickest to react. All of a sudden it was 28-30 and the Australians were left reeling when O'Brien tied the game with a 72nd minute penalty after Carter said too much.
England then went for the throat with Burgess, Milner and Burke to the fore. This extra impetus allowed halfbacks O'Brien and Powell to take centre stage and Powell obliged with great opportunism, to pounce on his own kick for a second try following a Gerard McCallum fumble. O'Brien converted and then rubbed salt in Australian wounds with a late penalty to confirm a pulsating 38-30 win.
GAMESTAR: Any one of five in white shirts. George Burgess was a collossus, Adam Milner turned the game, James Laithwaite was non-stop throughout while halfbacks Gareth O'Brien and Sam Powell were a classic combination.
GAMEBREAKER: Powell's second try which followed a difficult grubber kick was opportunism personified and with the conversion it was 36-30 with only a few minutes left. It capped a magnificent turnaround for the young England team.
ENGLAND
1 Matthew Russell
2 Ryan King
3 Jordan Thompson
4 Rhys Evans
5 Reece Lyne
6 Gareth O'Brien
7 Sam Powell
8 George Burgess
9 Adam Milner (C)
10 Ben Evans
11 Danny Bridge
12 Jack Hughes
13 James Laithwaite
Subs (All Used)
14 Adam O'Brien
15 Jared Stewart
16 Greg Burke
17 Matthew Sarsfield
Tries: Bridge (2), King (33), Powell (55, 72), Sarsfield (65), Thompson (69)
Goals: O'Brien 7/8
AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLBOYS
1 Henare Wells
2 Jacob Gagan
3 Tautau Moga
4 Trent Jennings
5 David Nofoaluma
6 Jack Wighton
7 Harry Siejka
8 Chris Grevsmuhl
9 Chad Redman
10 Matthew Groat
11 Lachlan Burr
12 Vaipuna Tia Kilifi
13 Paul Carter (C)
Subs (All Used)
14 Gerard McCallum
15 Michael Chee-Kam
16 Anthony Gadd
17 David Klemmer
Tries: Jennings (26), Tia Kilifi (36), Redman (42), Wighton (47), Carter (62).
Goals: Gadd 5/5.
Sinbinned: Klemmer (37 - Dissent)
Referee: Steve Ganson
Penalties 20-7 to England
Attendance: 732
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