Both sides smashed each other into exhaustion with punishing defence and a fast-paced game with Australia centre Josh Dugan saving two probable tries with his positional sense and a desperate ankle tap on his opposite number Kallum Watkins.
The only thing that separated the sides was Cordner's 15th-minute try as they both controlled the ball well, but England rued stupid errors or poor decisions early in the tackle count inside the Kangaroos' 20-metre area.
