The Junior Wallabies and England have played out a nail-biting 22-all draw, ending Australia’s hopes of back-to-back finals appearances at the U20 World Championships.
Reds young gun Harry McLaughlin-Phillips scored with three minutes to go, with Waratahs flyhalf Jack Bowen unable to convert the difficult conversion to give the Aussies the lead.
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Nathan Grey’s side led at the break, eventually grinding their way back into the contest after a dominant set-piece performance from England.
They needed a bonus point victory to all but qualify for the semi-finals, with an 82nd-minute attack that would've delivered both ending up in touch.
It means Australia finish third in Pool B, set to battle out for position in the fifth-eighth place playoff against New Zealand after a frustrating finish to the group stages, unable to repeat the heroics in 2019.
“The guys worked so hard. They really tried to execute the plan as best they could," coach Nathan Grey said
“We created opportunities and put ourselves in a position to win the game. We couldn’t quite get there.
“I’m super-proud of the effort but still disappointed. I thought we were the better side and the scoreboard doesn’t show that.”
The Australians were instantly on the back foot with Reds centre Taj Annan ruled out before kick-off due to illness.
England compounded the misery in the third minute when Nathan Jibulu burst through the line, drawing the fullback for Charlie Bracken to score for the opener.
The Junior Wallabies initially struggled at set-piece time against the imposing English pack, especially at lineout time. They enjoyed countless opportunities inside the opposition 22 but were on the back foot as they failed to hit the target three times in the first quarter.
Backrower Leafi Heka Talataina then provided the energy the Aussies needed to get back into the contest. The Rebel constantly bent the English line and gave Nathan Grey’s side their first try when he bumped off three tacklers for the 10-7 lead.
The English shrugged off a yellow card to Rekeiti Ma’asi-White and hit straight back via a great solo effort from Cassius Cleaves to restore their four-point advantage.
However, it was the Australians who went into the break in front as the lineout clicked, allowing Max Craig to score at the back of the rolling maul for a 17-14 lead.
England continued the sea-saw nature of the game when hooker Jibulu sprinted away for a try of his own three minutes into the second half to put the English back in front.
The Junior Wallabies held strong in defence and eventually started to build momentum.
They threw the ball around instead of being drawn into the kicking battle as Jack Bowen and Tim Ryan especially looked dangerous with ball in hand.
Bowen looked certain to sprint away, only to be stopped by an ankle tap whilst Ryan was threatening as the Aussies started to find space off short-side raids off the scrum.
Replacement John Bryant went close to barging over in the 65th minute, only to be held up by the defence.
They were then handed the perfect chance to attack when Chandler Cunningham-South was yellow-carded with 13 minutes to go for a high shot on Vaihu.
The Junior Wallabies struggled to find their way through the impressive English defence as mistakes started to creep into their game.
It took the injection of McLaughlin-Phillips that eventually got the Australians over the line, bursting through the defence with three minutes remaining. However, Bowen failed to convert the try from close to the sidelines as the scores remained tied.
McLaughlin-Phillips burst through two phases after the kick-off and the Aussies nearly went the length of the field, only for play to end up in touch when Glen Vaihu backed himself rather than the support inside him and ended up into touch.
They would earn one final chance as England made a crucial mistake seconds before the whistle blew from the resulting lineout.
As the Junior Wallabies pressed for a famous victory, one last chance ended in the ball over the touchline as the two teams were left to share the points.
It ensured Australia will miss the semi-finals, set to face off in the fifth-eighth playoff against New Zealand.
England's two draws and a win were enough to secure their place in the semi-finals against France whilst South Africa scored late to book their spot against Ireland.
