Following England’s 25-7 victory over the Wallabies at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, here is how we scored Steve Borthwick’s side.
England player ratings v Australia
15 Freddie Steward: By no means awful, but not his finest outing in an England shirt either. Had a few really lovely flashes around the game, but that was then marred by a few uncharacteristic errors both in the loose and under the high ball too. This will annoy him given his good form for Leicester so far this season. 5
14 Tom Roebuck: Continues to look comfortable in this side. His work in the air was the bright spark of a clunky first-half, helping set the platform for Ben Earl’s early score. Drifted slightly in the second-half, but overall very solid. 7
13 Tommy Freeman: More good than bad. His desire to carry the ball through traffic and cut back against the grain made him the focal point of England’s attack, but then he wasn’t able to find that killer pass to send his wingers away. Overall, will be pretty pleased with his performance, considering it’s just his second Test outing at 13. 6
12 Fraser Dingwall: Will be really disappointed with the interception, but was pleasing to see him always make the positive choice ball-in-hand. 6
11 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso: Looked really dangerous whenever he touched the ball, particularly in broken field, but then wasn’t quite utilised to full potential. Unlucky not to score early on as well, with Andrew Kellaway doing well to stop the ball falling into his clutches. 6
10 George Ford: There was always going to be a spotlight on his performance, given the hype around the number 10 jersey right now, but he did a good job. Kicked very well around the park, using the likes of Roebuck to get England in-behind the Wallabies defence, and helped his side play in the right areas. Will be slightly miffed at his goal-kicking, given he’s usually metronomic off the tee. 6
9 Alex Mitchell: Grew into the game really well as it went on, and ended up having a big effect on his side’s attack. Played at speed and marshalled the pack well to get them on the front-foot late in the day. Got himself a deserved try in the process. 7
Back-row
8 Ben Earl: Really strong in most facets today, as he proved a point at eight. Seemed to just spawn in exactly the right area to come up with a turnover and carried superbly in both broken field and in the tight. His early withdrawal was slightly baffling, considering he led the way for carries and metres at the time of his exit. 8
7 Sam Underhill: Didn’t put a foot wrong in a gritty effort. Just rolled up his sleeves and went looking for work. 6
6 Guy Pepper: Looks the part at Test level. Came up with some big efforts early doors, which then helped set a foundation for his days work. Threw himself into the breakdown at every opportunity and ended the game second in the tackle stats with 16 to his name. 7
Tight five
5 Ollie Chessum: As you would expect, was just rock solid right across his game. Got heavily involved in the battle up front, and his work in the maul was a real part of England’s second-half blowout. 6
4 Maro Itoje (c): Could almost copy and paste Chessum’s section in here. Just got himself stuck into the nitty-gritty and led by example, and was always a nuisance for the Wallabies. 7
3 Joe Heyes: Another sign of his growth in the Test arena. Looked solid in the scrum and had a few nice moments around the park too. Potentially unlucky to have not crossed the whitewash in the first-half. 6
2 Jamie George: A few shaky lineouts aside, enjoyed a decent shift. Notably topped the defensive stats across the game, making 20 in his 50-minute shift, and always made himself available for work. 7
1 Fin Baxter: A pretty tidy afternoon all told, as he continues to mature into a fine player. Held his own in the scrum against an impressive Tupou and got heavily involved in the defensive efforts too. 6
Replacements: The bomb squad call was the headline news within Borthwick’s selection, and they certainly lived up to the billing with a second-half detonation. Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, Tom Curry and Henry Pollock came on with the game right in the balance, but helped get England back on the front-foot with some serious grunt upfront. Be it in the carry, breakdown or the maul, England started winning the battle upfront and eventually pulled away. Ben Spencer also had a couple of nice moments upon his introduction. 8