Investec International Match Review

Twickenham, 7th November 2009

England 9 - 18 Australia

England v Australia was the first match of the Investec Autumn Rugby Series with the two teams battling it out for the Cook Cup at Twickenham Stadium. Having already notched up three home wins in the Six Nations tournament earlier in 2009, England were looking for a victory to kick start their Autumn International Series at fortress Twickenham.

With the Wallabies in town, the atmosphere in the Official Corporate Hospitality Facility was buzzing with excitement. With corporate hospitality clients granted exclusive access, guests could enjoy the gourmet luncheon and complimentary bar in style. England legend and Rugby World Cup Winner Jason Leonard OBE entertained the clients before the match, reliving that famous night in Sydney when England defeated the Aussies and lifted the 2003 Rugby World Cup trophy.

With officially allocated seats in the west stand at Twickenham, clients had the ideal panoramic view of the action on the pitch. The long awaited return of Jonny Wilkinson in an England jersey was a big boost for the home crowd as he made his first appearance for 18 months.

England took the lead with two early penalties from Wilkinson and looked the better organised side, putting pressure on Australia in both the scrum and the line-out. The pressure began to tell on the visitors, conceding seven penalties against an aggressive England side, epitomised by Lewis Moody who forcing several turnovers.

Having taken the lead into the break, England failed to threaten in behind Australia, who began to dominate the second half. Having squandered a couple to try-scoring opportunities, the Aussies took the lead for the first time with the reliable boot of Matt Giteau. With only minutes left to play, England struggled to find a way through the green and gold defence and they were punished late on when Adam Ashley-Cooper burst down the left wing to score a try that sealed the win for Australia.

After the final whistle, any disappointment from the result was quickly forgotten as the hot buffet was served to guests by experienced hostesses in the hospitality facility. The Anglo-Aussie banter went on into the evening with fans from both sides in fine spirits following another exciting match between two of world rugby’s finest teams.

Our Official Corporate Hospitality packages are as popular as ever with clients giving our staff excellent feedback on all aspects of the day’s entertainment at Twickenham.

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