CATT'S GOT THE CREAM

Groggy Mike Catt climbed off the floor to salvage a draw from an uninspired England display at Twickenham yesterday.

The England fly-half had a nightmare with his general kicking, but he completed a century of points with five penalties to deny two-try Australia outright victory in the Cook Cup.

His equalising kick, deep into injury time, was the most crucial of all.

Catt had to clear his head for the job after being taken out by Aussie full-back Stephen Larkham.

England were facing defeat to tries by George Gregan and Ben Tune when Catt ran a penalty and streaked so far clear that he lost his support, and had no option but to kick over last-man Larkham.

As he did so, Larkham dropped his shoulder and laid Catt out to earn himself a yellow card. But Catt recovered to drill home his penalty.

Both he and Joe Roff had difficult chances to win the match with penalties in the dying seconds, but neither side deserved the glory.

Catt, picked at centre but restored to fly-half when Alex King dropped out, had a good game with the ball in his hand but still kicks poorly on drop-outs and punts.

And with the pack creaking, line-out throwing sloppy and so many passes dropped, there will have to be major improvements if England are to survive the All Blacks at Old Trafford next Saturday.

That is a point not lost on new coach Clive Woodward. "Our ball retention was poor," he said. "We can't spill it against the All Blacks next week and hope to win.

"There are some pretty fed up players in the dressing-room and it was a disappointing spectacle.

"However, there were also a lot of pluses. I thought Matt Perry at full back had an outstanding match."

The game had started promisingly, and there were few traces of nerves from England's five new boys in front of the 75,000 crowd which had paid a record pounds 2.1million to watch.

As Lawrence Dallaglio called his men around in the bonding huddle, a hush descended. It was time for the talking to stop and Woodward's exciting gamble to pay off.

Catt kicked England into a fifth-minute lead when Australia were penalised for barging at a line-out.

But the Aussies showed what dangerous counter-attackers they are.

It was Gregan who put the first Green and Gold points on the board in the 26th minute, when Perry sent a marked kick straight into midfield and the little scrum-half exchanged passes with Tim Horan for a try that skipper John Eales just failed to convert.

Catt restored England's lead with a second penalty in the 31st minute from Kyran Bracken's alert break, and added a third just before half time after Howard made a mess of a simple pass then failed to release.

Tune punished England on the hour, as Australia got away with a blatant forward pass and Horan skilfully put his winger in for his ninth try with a lovely inside pass.

Roff took over the kicking and landed the conversion for a 12-9 lead.

But Catt drew England level again with his fourth kick of the day after a razor-sharp break by Bracken.

It was Australia who scored next, Roff landing a penalty from 25 yards to put his side 15-12 ahead four minutes from time - and seemingly safe, until Catt stepped up.

ENGLAND 15

Perry 8, Rees 6, Greenwood 7, De Glanville 7, Adebayo 6, Catt 6, Bracken 7, Leonard 6, Long 5 (Cockerill 6), Green 5, Johnson 6, Archer 7, Dallaglio 7, Hill 5, Diprose 5.

AUSTRALIA 15

Larkham 6, Tune 7, Horan 7, Howard 6, Roff 6, Flatley 5, Gregan 7, Harry 6, Foley 5, Blades 6, Langford 6, Eales 5, Finegan 6, Robinson 5 (Wilson 6), Ofahengaue 7.

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