Player ratings: Kyle Sinckler a rock for England

Editor

Here’s our England player ratings following their 37-18 victory over Australia at Twickenham on Saturday.

15 Elliot Daly: At times brilliant and his try was mercurial. There’s no doubt he’s a Test player but is he best used as a Test full-back? 8/10

14 Joe Cokanasiga: A handful on the hoof, his try was taken brilliantly but he’ll be buying Henry Slade’s drinks all night after failing to offload after his 50 metre run. 8/10

13 Henry Slade: His speed off the line puts pressure on the opposition midfield but also creates doglegs for them to attack and his handling is just short of the required standard to be a Test 13, but he contributed well elsewhere. 6/10

12 Ben Te’o: Showed his power in attack and defence but yet to show anything near the distribution skills required to ignite the pace in England’s back three. 5/10

11 Jonny May: Fast becoming one of the finest wingers in the world. His rugby intellect shines through every time he wears the shirt. A fantastic rugby player. 8/10

10 Owen Farrell (c): Will beat himself up regarding the Israel Folau missed tackle and still needs to improve his goal-kicking percentage but these are the standards we now expect from England’s talisman and he was, yet again, huge for his team. 8/10

9 Ben Youngs: Pressured the centurion Will Genia into mistakes and looked a lot sharper than he has done in earlier Tests this season. 7/10

8 Mark Wilson: Mr Dependable, his control of ruck, scrum and aerial battles is flawless and he never stops working, harrying and tackling. There is no doubt he has been England’s player of the November series and he’s become a world class player. 9/10

7 Sam Underhill: Always committed and matched the illustrious Michael Hooper in every area. 7/10

6 Brad Shields: Committed turnovers and some decent hits but is Shields the player England need at six or is Eddie’s fast track import still stuck in customs? On today’s form he took a step forward. 6/10

5 Courtney Lawes: Added huge impetus to England’s engine room and is now a magnificent Test lock. His offload in the Farrell try was superb. 7/10

4 Maro Itoje: A couple of silly penalties but countless tackles and turnovers, Maro is the man. 7/10

3 Kyle Sinckler: Fast becoming one of England’s best players, the Big Sink has every gift a tighthead could wish for and countless times he was England’s key receiver on the gain line. Immense in every aspect. Close to perfection. 9/10

2 Jamie George: His tight game improved hugely and he was active in the loose. Much improved. 7/10

1 Ben Moon: Many see Moon as someone to shore up the tight until Mako Vunipola returns but he demonstrated today that he’s more than just a scrummager. 7/10

Replacements:

16 Dylan Hartley: Tidied up a lot of mess, his love of mauls knows no bounds. 7/10

17 Alec Hepburn: Carried on where Moon left off. 6/10

18 Harry Williams: Sinckler was a hard act to follow but the Chief applied himself where the Quin left off and won a neat penalty. 7/10

19 Charlie Ewels: Ewels has added impact in every game he’s played and even at the end he was hitting tackle after tackle. 6/10

20 Nathan Hughes: Not on long but put in a couple of big hits. 6/10

21 Richard Wigglesworth: A man in the autumn of his game, he’s shone in the Autumn Tests. 7/10

22 George Ford: His first touch gave his best mate his try. Job done. 7/10

23 Manu Tuilagi: Manu is England’s James Bond to Australia’s Ernst Stravro Blofeld and the Leicester assassin was brutal in a welcome cameo. 7/10

by James While