Australia v England predictions and rugby union tips: Wallabies will prevail

Free rugby tips, best bets and analysis for Australia v England in Sydney on Saturday morning.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Action, 10.55am Saturday

Best bet

Australia
3pts 8-11 general

Match preview

There were contrasting fortunes for England in the first two Tests of their series against Australia, and the upshot is that it all goes down to the wire on Saturday morning in Sydney.

But if the results were different there were similarities too, and most concerning for England fans was the way the tourists took an early grip on both games but then could not build from their advantageous position.

With 20 minutes to go in the first Test in Perth England were 14-9 up against 14 men, their defence was on top and they had had the better of the forward exchanges. Yet ten minutes later they had shipped three tries to trail 30-14, and it took two tries in the last minutes to give the final scoreline of 30-28 a more respectable look.

Fired by that disappointment England came out swinging in the second Test last week, absolutely bullying the Wallabies, and they were 19-0 up and totally dominant with half an hour gone.

But again points just failed to flow despite that superiority, and when Australia were suddenly offered two chances they took them in a way that England had failed to do in both matches.

At 22-17 England were looking shaky when again they had been afforded the chances to be out of sight.

So England will go into the deciding Test knowing that they have enough to put Australia on the back foot, but they also know they cannot afford to let up as every slip has ended up being punished.

And they also go in uncertain of their attack, and doubts will not have been put to rest by the make-up of their backline. Scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet, centre Guy Porter and winger Tommy Freeman all made their first starts last week - Van Poortvliet had a big impact but is benched this week while the other two put in pretty quiet performances.

There are also issues up front, where Maro Itoje and Sam Underhill are ruled out after flanker Tom Curry was sidelined following the first Test. Ollie Chessum is a fine prospect in the second row but has yet to show the bullying dominance that Itoje brings to the breakdown.

Despite the punishment they took in the opening half of the first two Tests and their defeat in the second Test, Australia know they can hold their own and can be confident in attack, where Samu Kerevi and Marika Koroibete have been especially dangerous, while combative skipper Michael Hooper and scrum-half Nic White will ensure there are no backward steps.

England look certain to come out firing again but it’s a fine line between Eddie Jones’s demand for “controlled aggression” and overstepping the mark, and if the tourists get that wrong they don’t look to have enough else in the locker.

Unsurprisingly, bookmakers make this a knife-edge contest but England may struggle to replicate the fiery start they managed last week and Australia have the attacking edge to cash in.

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