The breakthrough came just five minutes later. Having started slowly in the first two Tests, Australia came out running here.
Cameron Munster’s circular pass towards the left wing found Josh Addo-Carr as the extra man and he crossed into the corner.
Joe Burgess, playing his first England cap in 10 years, conceded a knock to lose possession in a dangerous area, although replays showed he may have been dispossessed on the tackle.
Australia coach Kevin Walters had promised his team would do everything possible on this supposedly dead rubber, and a team that had only one change from the second Test (captain Isaah Yeo returning from concussion) threatened to cause unrest.
Things went from bad to worse for England as full-back AJ Brimson suffered a shoulder injury just 10 minutes later. He was replaced by Mikey Lewis, a talented player but out of depth and in an unnatural position for him. Australia attacked him throughout the match.
And it looked like the match was done and dusted when Australia took a 12-0 lead. Another England error (Morgan Knowles’ touch) gave the Kangaroos possession 20 meters from the line. They made it count, Munster kicking off Hudson Young when Lewis failed to cover.
When England attacked, it was for a long time the same scenario seen at Wembley and Liverpool, where they scored just one try in two games: a lot of effort but a lack of creativity.
That was until Jez Litten got them going with a stunning counter-attack following a rare mistake from Reece Walsh, followed by a moment of quick thinking as he kicked under pressure for captain George Williams to chase down and score.
England finished the half stronger and reduced the lead to four points with the final action of the half, when Harry Smith scored a penalty.
As in the previous two Tests, Australia started resolutely after the interval and thought they had a third try when Addo-Carr shrugged off a tackle from Lewis to score, but it was ruled out for offside.
England then played like a team that has been given new life. Suddenly the play became creative, high-paced and risky.
The partisan Headingley crowd responded, with Leeds rugby league heartland fans showing their appreciation.
Australia was suddenly shaken. Fights broke out and golden boy Walsh claimed contact with an England knee.
But Australia is the number one team on the planet and the reigning world champions for a reason. Another mistake from England (Lewis added to their poor day with a weak tackle) led directly to Grant landing under the posts.
The last words were had by Walsh, who has become a world star with his performances against England. He added the final two tries, taking his personal tally for the series to four and completing a score to put the home team firmly in their place.
