England 40
Georgia 0
EDDIE JONES’ ENGLAND prepared for next weekend’s visit of Ireland by dominating Georgia in a six-try bonus-point win, with hooker Jamie George scoring a hat-trick in heavy rain at Twickenham.
Andy Farrell’s Ireland side face the English in London next Saturday in the Autumn Nations Cup as they seek some revenge for damaging defeats on their last two visits.
England got their Autumn Nations Cup campaign off to a successful start against an aggressive Georgian side who didn’t have the technical or tactical quality to pose a consistent threat in the very tough conditions.
It was an understandably error-heavy game as George scored three tries at the back of English mauls, while Jack Willis, Elliot Daly, and Dan Robson also dotted down and Owen Farrell kicked five conversions.
Farrell is unlikely to feel Ireland learned a great deal more about England, although Maro Itoje and his fellow forwards once again underlined their muscular quality. Jonathan Joseph limped off in the first half to leave him an injury concern for the Ireland clash.
Sustained early English pressure eventually yielded a 15th-minute try on debut for in-form openside flanker Willis as he powered over with a little help from a latch from Wasps team-mate Joe Launchbury.
A Georgian scrum penalty after 23 minutes was heartily celebrated by the visitors, but the home side’s forwards had more to cheer when hooker George crossed at the back of a maul after half an hour.
Captain Farrell converted both of those tries but wasn’t able to add the extras when George crossed for his second score at the tail of another maul.
The bonus-point try arrived in the closing minutes of the first half as a slick lineout strike play saw Henry Slade sending Joseph on a break and he delivered the scoring pass – picking up his injury in the process – to fullback Daly, with Farrell converting from wide on the right for a 26-0 lead at half time.
With the downpour only intensifying, the third quarter was error-strewn by George notched his hat-trick try in the 58th minute after another strong English maul.
Bristol fullback Max Malins soon got on for his Test debut and another replacement, scrum-half Robson, bagged England’s sixth try as he dummied and sniped over from close-range.
England scorers:
Tries: Jack Willis, Jamie George [3], Elliot Daly, Dan Robson
Conversions: Owen Farrell [5 from 6].
