Underwhelming Kangaroos win series 3-0, but is it enough to earn Walters an extension?
Harry Grant and Angus Crichton were arguably Australia’s second-best players in the series.
What was disappointing for England was that they were unable to capitalize on a below-par performance in the Ashes throughout the series.
A local British journalist said it was the least impressive series performance he had seen on the Australian tour in three decades of covering the sport.
The scoring started with Munster’s superb ‘Harbour Bridge’ pass which set up the game’s opening try, catching England winger Joe Burgess out of position to slot Josh Addo-Carr for an early 6-0 lead.
Cameron Munster welcomes Harry Smith, Mike McMeeken and Morgan Knowles from England.Credit: Getty Images
England full-back AJ Brimson’s Ashes tour came to an end shortly after he succumbed to a shoulder injury sustained in a tackle on Angus Crichton.
Shaun Wane resisted the opportunity to move Dolphins superstar Herbie Farnworth to fullback, instead inserting backup quarterback Mikey Lewis into an unfamiliar role.
The Munster bomb made the mistake but Australia’s stuttering attack failed to punish the home team. In their next attacking pursuit, Munster looked to expose their makeshift full-back once again, catching him out of position with a stray tackle from Hudson Young to take a 12-0 lead.
The crowd at Headingley Stadium.Credit: Getty Images
Parochial fans tried to fire up their team with slogans such as “When shit happens it takes too long to get back to Brisbane” and a bizarre song about Nathan Cleary’s chin.
It wasn’t long before they began to turn around on their own, as frustrations began to spread with each stray pass that failed to find its target.
England hooker Jez Litten managed to bring the crowd of 19,500 back into the contest by slotting Crichton and Lindsay Collins from open half.
As he had done in the grand final and the first Test, Walsh tried to knock the ball down but eventually managed to hold on in the air as Litten foolishly moved and scrambled for captain George Williams to score.
The penalty taken after the half-time siren earned England a penalty goal, leaving the home team unfairly only four points behind at half-time.
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The second half witnessed a competitive match with fights taking place all over the field. This triggered an ill-disciplined moment for Reece Walsh, who took exception to what Burgess thought was a stray knee to the head of Gehamat Shibasaki.
Referee Grant Atkins instead penalized Walsh for cutting in and pushing the England defenders; This was a moment that the home team failed to capitalize on by repeatedly attacking the Aussie line.
The menacing Harry Grant, who was close to Australia’s best player in the series, crashed down from close range with 20 minutes left to give the visitors an 18-8 lead.
Walsh then put the game beyond doubt when he collected a tackle attempt from Burgess to slot in untouched.
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