Five takeaways from England v Australia

Following a 32-15 victory for England over Australia in their Autumn Nations Series fixture, here’s our five takeaways from the match at Twickenham.

The top line

A display of total rugby from England that whilst attractive, never fully delivered the points their ambition deserved, saw them overcome a doughty Australian display on Saturday.

A magnificent try, designed by Owen Farrell, engineered by Marcus Smith and delivered by Freddie Steward will remain in the memory for a long time. It was a move out of the top drawer, brilliantly taken and one that was a result of England’s fluidity in positional backline play.

Eddie Jones, lambasted by some during the week for his selection, showed the benefit of getting the best 23 available players in England on the pitch, but it was the sense of fun and ambition, together with a feeling of tactical liberation, that was the hallmark of this display.

From one to 23, there were moments to be proud of. Even Jamie George almost ran in a 40 metre try, until Tom Wright smashed the Saracens hooker with a high tackle that may have broken George’s neck, if he actually had one. Sam Underhill was back to his bullocking best with Jonny Hill putting in arguably his most impressive international performance thus far, looking like the massive powerhouse we’ve seen week in and week out at Exeter.

But make no mistake about this; the partnership between Farrell and Smith was sumptuous. It was like watching an old dog rejuvenated by a bounding puppy and if their relationship continues like it did on Saturday, the future for both is absolutely assured and thoroughly revitalised.

Total rugby

For those that have spent the week examining the minutiae of shirt numbers, positional aptitude and fitness for purpose, England’s new-look backline delivered a display of sumptuous intelligent rugby that rendered useless the traditional numbering of rugby union.

England mixed and matched their best players according to the game situation, a thoroughly radical move for the traditionalists but a blindingly obvious one for the real thinkers of the game.

We saw some exquisite interplay between Farrell and Smith, the interchanging of Manu Tuilagi, Henry Slade and Steward across the 13, 14 and 15 positions and we witnessed commanding displays from Tom Curry at eight and Underhill at seven to silence those that are prudish about back-row interchangeability.

But for all England’s ambition and pace, they never quite managed to convert their possession and ambition into the points they could have engineered had luck fell their way and had touchline fever not blinded their finishing touches.

There was a lot to admire this display for England – the ambition, the fun and the desire. But there were also some very obvious lessons to learn – those of early scoreboard ownership, basic discipline and supporting lines. Australia with Samu Kerevi and Quade Cooper may have seen a different scoreline, but for now, Jones has learned a lot about this exciting young English side.

Doughty Aussies

Australia delivered exactly what was expected up front – some powerful lineout work from Izack Rodda, scrapping of the highest order from their loose forwards, but finishing in second place in the scrummage stakes to an impressive display from Bevan Rodd, who was outstanding on his debut.

However, without the intellect of Cooper and physicality of Kerevi, they lacked the control and straight line attacking ability to really punish England, spending a lot of time getting pushed across the pitch by England’s hybrid defence and outside of the evergreen Kurtley Beale and Nic White, they failed to spend any real time pressuring England in their red zone. Whilst their creativity and lack of continuity in possession might have left something to be desired, their defensive shift was one to be desired.

As Dave Rennie acknowledged after the game, they need to consider how they react to playing away from and how to get themselves into sustained periods of attacking pressure.

Young guns

For a 22-year-old prop who thought he’d be watching Four In A Bed this weekend, Rodd put in a display to be immensely proud of. He lived up to his surname in the scrum, he put in an immense display in the loose and in support and he can be delighted with his rather unexpected first cap.

At the back, sometimes on the wing and occasionally at outside centre, Steward continued his meteoric rise in international rugby. His surety under the high ball is reminiscent of the great Wallaby, Chris Latham, and his power and pace were evident in his well-taken try.

With Smith creating havoc at times with ball in hand, one must also tip a nod to his surety and bravery in defence, something that saw him put in some crucial tackles in the midfield channel against players with a considerable weight advantage.

With the opportunity to unload a pace-packed bench, the England finishers performed to a man, with Alex Dombrandt enjoying a little cameo, whilst Sam Simmonds created a 70 metre try for Jamie Blamire with virtually his only touch of the game. It’s worth noting that Blamire became the first English forward to score in four consecutive Test matches.

South Africa will ask some big questions of England, but this week the youngsters who’ll be examined on Monday morning had an excellent day of mock exams. They should be immensely proud of themselves.

Final thoughts

For some, this game was a mixed bag of errors and indiscipline. For others, they might just see the ambition and attitude that England displayed was a change up from the side we witnessed last year.

The build-up this week saw a lot of levity in the press conferences. The spirit of the English team looked uplifted and positive by the addition of their new leadership and coaching groups and the result was a side that played with that essential but elusive quality – one of having fun with their mates.

The event management was outstanding – fireworks, flames and beams of light flew in the face of the current narrative of COP26, but it put a big smile on the faces of the 82,000 faithful.

England’s November season is now past the break even point and is in the positive. Next week, as the Springboks visit, the challenge moves to a new level, one that could be as career defining for Jones as any other match that England have played under his charge. The mood is upbeat, the players are excited and England now expects their team to deliver.