Cohen and Wilkinson save the citadel

England 32 Australia 31

It's getting better week by week. In a game of swings and roundabouts, with a rollercoaster and a big dipper thrown in, England completed their first hat-trick of victories over Australia on another bewitching afternoon at headquarters. It did not seem possible to surpass last week's engrossing match in which the All Blacks were defeated here 31-28, but somehow they managed it.

At the end the stadium, not for the first time, was filled with the theme tune from The Great Escape – echoing the manner of England's extraordinary rise, fall and rise before getting home by two goals and six penalties to two goals, a try and four penalties. In the process they conceded the most points at Fortress Twickenham, Australia eclipsing the 30 scored by New Zealand in the 1999 World Cup, England's last defeat here. And still the Wallabies, beaten on their last two autumn visits to the Red Rose garden, fell short.

The reason, once again, was the golden boot of Jonny Wilkinson. Twelve months ago, in England's 21-15 victory, the young stand-off kicked all his side's points with five penalties and two drop goals. Yesterday he gave another world-class exhibition of goal-kicking, contributing 22 points: six penalties out of six – whatever the distance it made no difference – and he converted both England's tries.

Matt Burke is no amateur in this department but, crucially, he failed with a penalty in the second minute, another in the 76th and missed a conversion as the world champions scored three tries to two. Their tries all came in the space of seven minutes, during which Australia scored 19 points, completely transforming the complexion of a match that England seemed to have under lock and key.

Leading 16-6, which did not reflect the run of play – the margin should have been greater – England were hit by a blitz from the Wallabies and suddenly found themselves trailing 16-25. After 55 minutes it was 19-31. To their immense credit England, having apparently lost the plot, did not forget the punchline. Wilkinson's penalties chipped away at Australia's lead, setting up a stunning climax.

England were still six points adrift in the final quarter when James Simpson-Daniel, sadly neglected for the most part on the right wing, appeared in midfield and slipped a sublime pass to Ben Cohen, who had the momentum, the pace and the angle to cross for his second try. It was his 18th in 20 Tests, a tremendous strike rate. Wilkinson's conversion, of course, was a formality but it was the kick that gave his side their one-point victory.

England had several chances to score before Cohen got his first try in the ninth minute. It followed tremendous pressure, during which a chip from Will Greenwood would have resulted in a try for the unmarked Richard Hill had it not run into touch, but they did not have long to wait. Greenwood made a half-break and the move was sustained by Jason Robinson, Mike Tindall and Simpson-Daniel who, despite having Wendell Sailor hanging on to his shirt-tails as if he had a hand on a life-raft, released an inside pass to Cohen, who sailed through a gap.

Penalties against Phil Vickery and Robinson, the latter foolishly conceded, allowed Burke to cut the deficit to one point but after Wilkinson had kicked his first penalty, from a yard inside his own half, England laid siege. Matt Dawson, always a handful for the Wallabies' back row, made a break in midfield but after easily beating Stephen Larkham the scrum-half was caught 15 yards short. He would have done better to have looked for support, but as it was England won another penalty through Daniel Vickerman's illegal challenge on Lewis Moody.

Wilkinson made it 16-6 after 40 minutes but then came the first turning point. The Wallabies received a timely and massive boost as the first half entered stoppage time. They produced a rare coherent attack when George Smith, finding himself with room on the right wing, chipped infield where the recipient was not a three-quarter but the hooker Jeremy Paul who promptly crashed into Robinson. Having regained possession, England then lost it, presenting their opponents with a great chance on the left where they had men in abundance. Perhaps it was the shock of being in such a situation that made Daniel Herbert attempt a panic-stricken flick pass which went nowhere.

Fortunately for the Aussies they were awarded a penalty and were told by the referee that there was still time for a line-out. Instead of kicking for goal they kicked to touch and subsequently won a scrum, from where Toutai Kefu fed Elton Flatley. With Wilkinson slipping and Greenwood committing himself too early, the Wallaby waltzed through an inviting gap.

Suitably buoyed, having gone in at half-time behind by only three points when it should have been a lot more, the Wallabies struck again three minutes after the re-start. Justin Harrison put in a chip, catching both ball and Robinson before smashing through Martin Johnson. When play moved to the right Larkham, who for the most part played full-back with Flatley at stand-off, threw out a long pass to Sailor and the former rugby league star, capitalising on a slip by Cohen, went over for his first try in a rugby union Test.

Australia, hitting the front for the first time, almost immediately increased their lead through another try that would not have pleased England's defensive coach Phil Larder. When the ball squirted out of a ruck on the England 22 and close to the right-hand touchline, Flatley picked it up and sprinted 80 yards to score. The only white jersey who got close to him was Robinson but even he didn't have quite the legs or the strength to tie the Wallaby down.

Tindall was penalised for a late tackle on Larkham (it was, but so had been Matt Cockbain's on Neil Back seconds earlier), Burke made it 16-28 and the game seemed to be up. With Wilkinson present it never is and the No 10 continues to exact revenge for the humiliation he suffered during England's 76-0 defeat in Brisbane four years ago, his Test debut.

England 32 Australia 31
Tries: Cohen 2 Tries: Flatley 2, Sailor
Cons: Wilkinson 2 Cons: Burke 2
Pens: Wilkinson 6 Pens: Burke 4

Half-time: 16-13 Attendance: 75,000

England: J Robinson (Sale); J Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester), W Greenwood (Harlequins), M Tindall (Bath), B Cohen (Northampton); J Wilkinson (Newcastle), M Dawson (Northampton); J Leonard (Harlequins), S Thompson (Northampton), P Vickery (Gloucester), M Johnson (Leicester, capt), B Kay (Leicester), L Moody (Leicester), N Back (Leicester), R Hill (Saracens). Replacements: L Dallaglio (Wasps) for Hill 41-51, A Healey (Leicester) for Tindall 83.

Australia: M Burke (NSW); W Sailor (Queensland), D Herbert (Queensland), E Flatley (Queensland), S Mortlock (ACT); S Larkham (ACT), G Gregan (ACT, capt); B Young, J Paul (ACT), P Noriega (NSW), D Vickerman (ACT), J Harrison (ACT), M Cockbain (Queensland), T Kefu (Queensland), G Smith (ACT). Replacements: D Giffin (ACT) for Vickerman 56; A Freier (NSW) for Paul 69, B Darwin (ACT) for Noriega 77, D Croft (ACT) for Harrison 56, M Giteau (ACT) for Herbert 73.

Referee: P Honiss (New Zealand).