“A packed out Twickenham. F–k man. It’s the best feeling in the world.”
Given what Max Jorgensen had just done, the young Wallaby gets a pass for dropping the F-bomb on live television.
Jorgensen was being interviewed just moments after scoring an 84th minute try to win the match for the Wallabies over England at Twickenham. At the end of a thrilling last ten minutes, the 20-year-old had scored to snatch the win from England’s grasp.
The same England who’d snatched the win from Australia’s grasp in the 78th minute. The same Australia who’d snatched the win in the 76th minute… well, you get the drift.
The chaotic finish ended a Test match that will go down as an all-time classic. Let’s break down that last five frantic minutes.
78th minute: Itoje’s match-almost-winner
After Andrew Kellaway had scored a runaway try in the 76th minute, it seemed like the Wallabies had done enough to win. But England won the re-start and very soon after Maro Itoje scored from short range. It was good news in a way: the clock read 77.57 and with a maximum 60-second conversion shotclock, there would be a re-start.
Maro Itoje scores with two minutes left on the clock.Credit: Getty Images
If England had faffed around and scored a minute later, they could have shut the game down.
“There was only a minute to go or something and the chat was just stay calm and get the ball back off the kickoff,” Jorgensen told reporters later.
79 minutes: Jumping Joe
All night Joseph Suaalii had been making life a misery for Itoje on re-start kicks. Positioned on the right, Noah Lolesio would lob the ball perfectly for Suaalii to leap high in the air – like Israel Folau used to do – and challenge Itoje for the ball. Bear in mind, Itoje is 1.98m tall and gets lifted another metre on top of that.
Noah Lolesio kicking at goal.Credit: Getty Images
“We had another minute to go and what had been working for us all game was to get Joseph up in the air,” McReight said. “So went to that.”
Jorgensen: “You can see how athletic he is on those kick-offs. He was jumping over the pod there every single time.”
This time, though, Ben Donaldson dropped the kick short. It might not have gone ten but Itoje, who was worried about Suaalii, jumped forward to catch it. The big Englishman knocked it on.
McReight: “We were able to get the ball back so it was pretty quick. Joe has been hard on us to win the next moment.”
A deafening Swing low, sweet chariot fires up in the stands.
“What a game – 37 plays 35,” Morgan Turinui said on Stan Sport’s broadcast. “This is the last play of the game. The Wallabies have a 40m, right-hand side scrum.”
80m: Scrum time but no joy
A first scrum is packed and re-set, and a second scrum appears to be a dominant Wallabies’ win but referee Ben O’Keeffe doesn’t see a penalty in it – saying no-one was going forward. From 40-odd metres out, it would have been a tough kick for Donaldson, in any case.
81.45m: Bash and barge
The third scrum is cleared quickly by Tate McDermott, and Australia begin carrying the ball to the posts.
It’s not quite clear what the gameplan is, but it would appear to be recycling until England give away penalty. Langi Gleeson, Alaalatoa and Rob Valetini all carry twice in an 11-phase sequence.
What was being spoken about? A drop-goal?
McReight: “I have no idea, my job is to get into rucks and secure the clean ball. I was looking back myself, but I didn’t see anyone (setting up), I was a bit confused.”
Len Ikitau’s flick-pass puts Peter Jorgensen into space and away for the match-winning try.Credit: Stan Sport
82.47m: The magic play
Valetini takes a crucial final carry that gets through the line before McDermott goes left to hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa.
BPA plays out the back to Donaldson, who sees a defender rushing and taps with one hand on to McReight. The flanker passes straight to a looping Ikitau.
Ikitau gets on the outside of Ollie Sleightholme and tries and get Smith to bite. Defending on the wing, Smith jumps on the line and Ikitau produces a sublime leftie back-hand flick to Jorgensen.
“Who does that? Left-hand flick. 84 minutes into the game,” Michael Hooper marvels in commentary.
Max Jorgensen scores the match-winner.Credit: Stan Sport
Jorgensen is in space and has 30 metres to the line, and he beats George Ford in cover.
Like the Matt Giteau try that sealed Australia’s last win at Twickenham in 2015, Jorgensen scores with a swan dive. Suaalii races back to Ikitau as others mob Jorgensen.
“I seen the tryline there and I am making it all the way,” Jorgensen said. “I got that ball in open space and I had no-one in front of me.
“It all happened pretty quickly. It was unreal.”
