England take on Australia in a mammoth Women's World Cup semi-final tomorrow. As England look to break their World Cup semi-final curse, hosts Australia will be desperate to stop them and deliver football’s biggest trophy on home soil. It’s the latest meeting of what is a rivalry as old as time, but who has come out on top in recent meetings, across all sports? We’ve taken a look to see what the current score truly is…
Cricket (men)
England came back from 2-0 down in the Ashes this year but it wasn’t enough as the rain saved Australia in Manchester. That means that the series ended in a draw and Australia retained the little urn. Sorry Ben Stokes and co, you didn’t do enough this time.
Score: Australia 1-0 England
Cricket (women)
It was a similar story in the women’s Ashes. England battled bravely to come from 6-0 down to draw the series 8-8 but once again, Australia retained the Ashes. Heather Knight’s team put in some outstanding performances to take it all they way, but ultimately came up short on home soil.
Score: Australia 2-0 England
READ MORE:
- Spain's 15+3: A team succeeding amidst chaos
- England face Australia in semis
- England 6/4 to beat Australia on Wednesday - Betfred*
Football (men)
The last meeting of the men’s teams came just before Euro 2016 and Marcus Rashford made history by becoming the youngest player to score on his England debut in a 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light. Roy Hodgson would be sacked after a disastrous campaign that summer, while these two nations play again at Wembley this October. We’re on the board!
Score: Australia 2-1 England
Football (women)
We don’t have to go back far to find the last meeting between the Matildas and the Lionesses. The two met in a pre-tournament friendly in May, and Australia ran out 2-0 winners, ending England’s 30-match unbeaten run. Sam Kerr and Charlotte Grant were both on the scoresheet and the Aussies would love to repeat the trick in the semi-final.
Score: Australia 3-1 England
Rugby union (men)
Last summer England’s tour of Australia ended in delight as they won the Ella-Mobbs cup with a 21-17 win in Sydney. A wonderful try from Marcus Smith saw him make his name on the international stage, as Eddie Jones’ men secured a famous victory.
Score: Australia 3-2 England
Rugby union (women)
Another major win for England. In the World Cup quarter-final in 2022 England stormed past Australia with a 41-5 victory. They made it all the way to the final where they only narrowly lost to hosts New Zealand in an epic encounter, but at least they beat the Aussies!
Score: Australia 3-3 England
Rugby league (men)
England surprisingly haven’t played Australia in rugby league since 2017. The Covid-19 pandemic, combined with the Aussies lack of enthusiasm for long-haul internationals, has led to a six-year break. Their last meeting was a painful one, as England lost 6-0 in the 2017 World Cup final to the dominant force in the sport.
Score: Australia 4-3 England
Rugby league (women)
The women also haven’t faced off against the old enemy since 2017, and they were handed an equally painful defeat in the group stages. Australia ran riot against England, winning 38-0 on home soil on their way to another World Cup success. England crashed out in the semi-finals, but they were way off the quality of the finalists Australia and New Zealand, losing heavily to both sides.
Score: Australia 5-3 England
Netball (women)
The most recent sporting final between these two sides came just this month in the Netball World Cup final. England did incredibly well to make it to the final and thought they could break the New Zealand/Australia duopoly that has dominated the sport, but they once again came up short in the final. Australia beat them 61-45 to take home the gold medal.
Final score: Australia 6-3
