Wallabies fall 45-22 to England as Angus Bell gets first yellow card under new tackle rule

Australia's Spring Tour opener at Twickenham ended in a 45-22 defeat to England after prop Angus Bell was sent to the sin bin for a hip-drop tackle, the first such yellow card for a Wallabies player since the rule's introduction on November 1. Bell left the field in the 33rd minute following a tackle on England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who required medical attention before returning to play.

"It’s something we talked about, safety first. I can’t really complain with that one, we’ve just got to be careful when you’re behind a player, and you drop," coach Les Kiss said after the match. "We’ve talked about it, and it’s probably the right call."

England extended their lead shortly after Bell's departure when prop Joe Heyes scored from a rolling maul, taking the score to 19-3. Australia rallied in the second half, with Max Jorgensen's intercept try narrowing the gap to 19-10 at halftime. However, England responded with further tries, including a quick score by Jack van Poortvliet and a double by substitute Henry Pollock, pushing the lead to 38-10.

Substitutions for Australia, including Ben Donaldson and Filipo Daugunu, produced a brief surge, with Donaldson adding a conversion and Daugunu scoring in the corner. Late in the game, England sealed the win with a try by Jeremy Williams and a final score by Ben Spencer, ending the match at 45-22.

Kiss praised England's performance but acknowledged shortcomings in Australia's attacking structure and confidence.

"When we had a chance in the middle third we were probably a bit narrow and didn’t get our game going at all, and I think the first half was indicative of the momentum we had," he said. "I’m not sure, we’ll have a look at it and have a good discussion with the players."

The loss leaves Australia with issues to address before their next test against Scotland in Edinburgh.