By Nicholas Quinlan
Australia has claimed the Rugby League Ashes following a gritty and fiery 14-4 win against England in the second Test at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool.
But the action would get underway before the game even started.
During the national anthems, online ‘prankster’ Jarvo would invade the pitch and was shown standing arm in arm with Cameron Munster, who joked that it “must have been Kevvie’s (Walters) or cousin or something” before the British man was dragged away by security guards.
This is not the first time that Jarvo has been spotted on the field adoring a team's colours.
He has performed similar acts during the Olympics, the Cricket World Cup, the Rugby World Cup, and the 2021 test cricket series between India and England.
Police have confirmed that they have detained a man following the incident.
Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Munster admitted that he hadn’t clocked on to who the man was until a little while after he linked arms.
“Myself and Patty Carrigan have a bit of a superstition that we stand together for the anthem,” Munster said.
“Some guy tried to get in between me and him, and I said ‘nah’. Then he asked me again, ‘can I stand next to you and hold you’.
“I said righto mate. Do what you need to do. I just assumed he had some corporate package or some agreement with the Kangaroos that he could jump in for the anthem.
“Then I realised who it was. It was the guy who does that stuff on the regular. It took me a while to click on, but it was pretty funny. He got me.”
Following the anthems being sung, the game started with an all-in brawl between the two sides, with a tussle between Harry Grant and England’s Jez Litten lighting the fuse, which saw Dom Young and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui sin binned for their involvement.
That would see Australia be awarded a penalty goal, with Nathan Cleary calmly slotting it through to score the first points of the match.
Both sides then traded penalty goals throughout the first half, which would see the game tied 4-4 at the main break.
And while they weren’t as impactful in attack in the first 40 minutes, the Kangaroos’ experience and class came to the fore in the second half.
In the 48th minute, Munster scored the first try of the match after bursting through the left edge with his momentum enough to get him over the line.
And four minutes later, a Nathan Cleary kick was tipped forward by England, with the ball finding Hudson Young, which helped extend Australia’s unassailable lead.
And from there, the visitors were able to close out the game despite Reece Walsh being sent to the bin in the 65th minute for a late hit on Young.
Speaking post-game after being awarded man of the match, Munster was proud of how the visitors were able to overcome a difficult first half to see them win the second Test.
“It’s been a great game,” he noted.
“England played their best, and we gave it to them on a silver platter in the first half.
“But our scramble and defence were really good tonight, so our attack is a little bit scratchy, but we’ll work on that next week.”
The third and final Test match between the two sides takes place next Sunday at Headingley Stadium in Leeds.
Kick off takes place at 1:30am AEDT.
Crafted by Project Diamond