Australia kept their Four Nations hopes alive with a hard-fought 16-12 victory over England in Melbourne.
However, the story could have been very different had the Australian video referee given a late try for the visitors.
The Kangaroos took the lead in the 16th minute when Greg Bird released Michael Jennings, who touched down rather clumsily.
England levelled after some quick play in midfield saw Sam Tomkins offload to Kallum Watkins, who broke through a tackle and crossed the line. Gareth Widdop's giant conversion then put the visitors ahead for the first time in the game.
A few minutes before half time, England extended their lead when Ryan Hall crossed the line unchallenged after a period of significant pressure, and Widdop kicked the extras to earn his side a 12-4 lead at the break.
However, in the 57th minute, Australia took advantage of a penalty to reduce the deficit through Ben Hunt's try ,and the home side regained the lead with 15 minutes remaining as Greg Inglis crossed the line under the posts, giving Cameron Smith the simple task of kicking the extras.
With 40 seconds remaining, England thought that they had got themselves back on level terms when Hall got the faintest of touches on the ball in the scoring zone, but the video referee adjudged that he had not applied enough downward pressure as the hosts breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Kristian Johnson
