England came agonisingly close to the elusive victory over a major southern hemisphere nation that would have signalled their coming of age as competitors on the world stage. They scored the only try through Jeremy Guscott 10 minutes from the end of their Cook Cup international, but flattered only to deceive; when it was time to make the kill, Australia - and in particular their goalkicking captain John Eales - proved as cold and implacable as an executioner.
The spoils of Test rugby often go to those who commit fewer errors rather than set the world on fire, and so it proved as England infringed at inconvenient moments whereas the Wallabies pursued risk-free tactics and kicked the goals that mattered.
Whether England can step up a gear and fulfil their promise in next Saturday's Test against South Africa must be open to doubt; the cutting edge they need can hardly be honed in days.
The loss of their fly-half Paul Grayson with an injured knee after 32 minutes proved crucial: his replacement Mike Catt, apart from one marvellous early touchfinder, rarely managed to give shape to England's intermittent enterprise.
The Wallabies flew home yesterday having put down an important marker for next year's World Cup with victories over the northern hemisphere's only serious contenders, France and England, on successive weekends. Rod Macqueen, the coach who was lambasted by the Australian media only 12 months ago, has guided his side to 11 victories in 13 Tests this year, a sequence bettered only by South Africa. Equally important, Macqueen has capped gifted youngsters.
In gloomy contrast England have failed to secure a win in 12 Tests against the southern hemisphere nations since the 1995 World Cup, when they beat Australia in the quarter-finals. Clive Woodward has capped about 50 players in an occasionally chaotic quest for success since he took charge nearly 15 months ago but parts of the team still look callow and less than professional. Australia lacked eight senior players through injuries but their rugby league style of defence, which tends to project two tacklers at the ball-carrier, was powerful enough to keep England pinned down in harmless areas.
Though England sometimes moved the ball sweetly through hands, their three-quarters never managed to escape. The wings Austin Healey and Tony Underwood were generally ineffective, wandering aimlessly inside to get away from their aggressive markers.
Woodward acknowledged that England had no Plan B when they failed to find a way round or through Australia's rearguard. Indeed he claimed not to have any game plan at all, even though his loose forwards were clearly focused on cutting off Australia's supply lines and stopping their scrum-half George Gregan around the fringes.
There was nothing to choose between the teams in terms of pace, whether it was over 10 metres or 40; each time Guscott, Catt or the Australian flier Joe Roff tried to show the opposition a clean pair of heels he was pulled down well short of the line. Catt did race clear once - and off-loaded to one of the touch judges, Paddy O'Brien; on another occasion the Bath No 10 was dispossessed in a one-on-one when a grub kick or a chip-and-chase were obvious options.
Only once did England pull all the pieces together and scatter the Wallabies with a scoring move that briefly trailed clouds of glory. After Martin Johnson won a restart, Healey, Matt Perry and Darren Garforth in turn ran deep into the Australian defence before Matt Dawson and Catt combined to sweep the ball away from the ruck to Guscott, who crashed over on the right.
However, England's 11-9 lead was short-lived: four minutes from time Catt's previous failure to kick the conversion was duly punished by Eales, who steered home his fourth penalty goal after a ruck offence by Neil Back. As Dallaglio remarked: "We were on the wrong side of a very close game; we let it slip away."
England: Perry (Bath); Underwood (Newcastle), de Glanville, Guscott (both Bath), Healey (Leicester); Grayson (Northampton;
Catt, Bath, 32min), Dawson (Northampton); Leonard (Harlequins), Cockerell, Garforth, Johnston (all Leicester), Rodber (Northampton), Dallaglio (Wasps, capt), Back (Leicester), Hill (Saracens).
Australia: Latham; Little, Herbert (all Queensland), Grey (NSW), Roff; Larkham, Gregan; Noriega (all ACT), Kearns (Queensland; Foley, Queensland, 46), Blades, Bow- man (both NSW), Eales (capt), Cockbain (both Queensland; Finegan (ACT, 49), Wilson, Kefu (both Queensland).
Referee: P Honiss (New Zealand)
