Wallabies hurt – England need last-ditch effort to wrap up series in Sydney

Days after Australia were swept by a brutal rugby league contest, England are ready to prove that fire-and-brimstone brutality exists in the union as well as they look to claim series glory with another show of strength.

On Wednesday, this country was left without a State of Origin decision Queensland and New South Wales.

Queensland triumphed in what was billed as a jittery oval ball classic that resonated across the code divide ahead of a winner-takes-all showdown on Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

Eddie Jones’ men hope to win the three-Test series 2-1 in the decider on Saturday

England plan to channel similar passion and intensity to shock Wallabies again.

With the win, they will win the new Ella-Mobbs Trophy as a reward for coming from 1-0 down.

Last week it was Richard Cockerill who issued a statement of intent ahead of the Tests that his pack backed up in fine style on their way to victory in Brisbane.

England’s forwards coach was at it again on Friday to leave the hosts in no doubt about the fury that awaits them.

“We’ve got two teams playing in a Test series so we’re both going to be in it,” said the former England prostitute.

“They talked themselves out of it, so we’ll have to live up to that and more. We’re going to come in with more physicality and even more purpose.

“Everything is on the line. We lost the first Test, everyone had written us off and we were under pressure.

“England teams who are under pressure come back really well and the boys were unbelievable in Brisbane.

“We’re looking forward to it. You want a rivalry, don’t you? You want to spice up your games.

“I don’t watch rugby league but I did watch Origin because they were going to go head-to-head like crazy.

“The first 15-20 minutes (on Saturday), let’s bring it because that’s what the bottom line is.”

Jamie George and his England team-mates must face a backlash from a pack of wallabies.

“We know that Dave Rennie and Michael Hooper are going to pump those guys up, making sure they open fire,” George said.

“They will have steam coming out of their ears. No problem. We need to know that they are traumatized animals.

“We lost the first test and we know how that feels. We know the reaction it causes. We’re not too worried about that.’

This series has been gently simmering.

Last week, Taniela Tupou’s comments about Ellis Genji managed to create so much antagonism in the England squad that he turned his fury on Australia with a thunderous performance.

This week, claims by Wallabies scrum-half Nick White about England’s “dirty tricks” ignited another fire in the visitors’ camp.

Richard Cockerill gave a statement of intent last week which his pack backed up in fine style – and he did it again on Friday to leave the hosts in no doubt about the fury ahead

The former Exeter player suggested that the England international was guilty of a deliberate roll-up tactic, but Cockerill replied: “I haven’t seen one of our lads sent off for a header.”

It referred to an incident in which Darcy Swain was dismissed from the Australian lock in Perth after Jonny Hill kicked him in the face and pulled his hair.

“We don’t want to give silly penalties but we don’t want to hold guys back either,” added Cockerill. “I keep hearing about the nitpicking that England brought. I don’t know what Australian rugby is like, but I don’t see it as nothing. It was pretty tame.

“We just need to continue our game with a good set-up, fight tough, clean rooks, be as physical as possible, be as tough as possible and follow the laws of the game.”

An explosive contest lies ahead and it will demand one last Herculean effort from a battered England team at the end of a grueling season. This is their last game before a well-deserved rest.

Hooker Jamie George said he expected Wallabies captain Michael Hooper (left) and head coach Dave Rennie (right) to send the players out firing and “steam coming out of their ears”.

It will be interesting to see if England will be sharp and direct again, as they were in most of the matches last week.

Or that Danny Carr’s selection to start at scrum-half hints at a revised plan to knock the Wallabies off their feet.

If this does turn out to be another hard-fought battle between the sides, here’s hoping that concussions and broken limbs haven’t marred this streak so far.

Eddie Jones’ side need to re-ignite the fire within, but this time they won’t have the same level of desperation to stoke it. The pressure has eased after the win in Brisbane, but the stakes remain high.

For​​​​​​all the improvements under Rennie, Australia are still not a formidable force, especially without Quaid Cooper and Will Skelton.

For​​​​​​all their improvements under Rennie, Australia are not yet a formidable force, especially without No.10 Quade Cooper (above) – so England should now be expected to wrap up the series

So now England – albeit diminished by a long list of casualties – should be expected to regain momentum and complete the series.

Ideally, the outlines of a clear plan should also be drawn up by now, with the next World Cup in France just over a year away.

Others are ahead in the evolutionary process, so England need to catch up in terms of recruitment and honing the tactical plan.

But, I repeat, the main thing is the result. It’s always like that. “We want to win the series,” Cockerill said. “We came to win the series.”

Quite right. If England finish the job here, it will save their season.